How to Send a Ringtone to Your iPhone

Last Updated: February 2, 2021

This wikiHow teaches you how to add ringtones to your iPhone. You can add files to iTunes and transfer them to your iPhone, or you can create ringtones in Garageband.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Your Computer's iTunes Library

1
Connect your iPhone to your computer. Place the USB into a free port on your computer, and plug the charger into your phone.
- This method is good for accessing preset ringtones, or using songs in your iTunes library to create ringtones.
2
Give your computer access to your phone. Tap Allow when prompted, then tap Trust. You may need to enter your passcode.

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3
Launch iTunes on your computer. Look for a colorful musical note icon on your desktop.
4
Click Tones in the left panel. This is where all your ringtones on iTunes are.
- On macOS Catalina, search for the ringtone in Finder instead of iTunes. Use the search bar to look for the ringtone by its name, then drag and drop the tone onto your iPhone listed on the left.
5
Click Sync in the bottom right. This will sync all ringtones to your iPhone.
- To add more ringtones to iTunes, click File then Add File to Library while in the Tones folder. Select a ringtone from a saved location on your computer.
- You can also create a ringtone in iTunes.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Buying Ringtones From iTunes

1
Launch the iTunes Store app. Look for a white star with a purple background on your home screen.
2
Tap More. This is an icon with 3 dots in the bottom right.
3
Tap Tones. It's at the bottom with a bell icon.
4
Find a ringtone that you want to buy. Scroll through the Featured list, or tap on Charts to find the most popular ringtones. You can also search by genre by tapping on Genres in the top right.
5
Tap on the price. This is in a box to the right of the ringtone name.
6
Select an option for the ringtone. Choose to set it as your default ringtone, default text tone, or the tone for a specific person. If you prefer to decide later, tap Done.
7
Enter your Apple password if prompted. You may not be asked for one if you have set up your iTunes account this way.
- To access ringtones that you have purchased with your Apple ID that are not on your iPhone, go to the Settings app and tap on Sounds & Haptics. Tap on a sound under "Sounds and Vibration Patterns", then tap Download All Purchased Tones^{[1]
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- If you are using macOS Catalina, all of your media purchased from iTunes, including ringtones, can be found in Apple Music. Look for the rainbow musical note on the Dock.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using the GarageBand Mobile App

1
Open GarageBand. Look for an icon that has a white guitar on an orange background on your iPhone's home screen.
- If you do not have the GarageBand mobile app, download it from the App Store.
- This method is useful if you want to tweak and personalize your ringtone.
2
Tap Select. This is in the top right.
3
Tap on the song you wish to use as your ringtone. If you do not have any made, tap Create Song and make a song to use as a ringtone.
4
Tap on the share
button. This is in the bottom left.
5
Tap Ringtone. This is the middle option.
6
Name the ringtone. Tap on the text box, delete the existing name, and type a name for your ringtone.
7
Tap Export. This is in the top right.
8
Tap Use sound as…. This allows you to set the song as a ringtone.
9
Select an option for your ringtone. You can choose to use the sound as a ringtone, text tone, or assign it to a specific contact.