How To Make Ringtones On iTunes v.12.5

Step by step guide for adding ringtones to your iTunes "Tones" library on a Mac. 

Along with instructions on how to add the tones to your phone and how to use them once on your phone.

iTunes 

Now lets get started:

First download a ringtone off the internet. I like zedge.net for cool free ring and text tones.

Download a ringtone

Next, move the .mp3 file to your desktop.

Move File

Then, move the .mp3 file to your iTunes library by dragging and dropping.

Drag and drop into iTunes

Now its in iTunes 

original file is now in iTunes 

Now, click to highlight the ringtone in iTunes, then go to file (on the very top of the screen) and go down to "Convert" in the drop down menu.

go to file, then convert

Click "Create AAC Version" in the menu that appears when you hoover your mouse over "Convert" under "File".

create AAV version

Then, you want to delete the original file. Only the ORIGINAL .mp3 file from iTunes.

delete original .mp3 file

Drag the new AAC version of your ringtone to your desktop. 

drag AAC version to desktop

 Delete AAC version from your iTunes library (since you dragged the file to your desktop)

delete AAC version from iTunes. 

Go to the AAC version you dragged to the desktop, and right-click (or 2 finger-click) on the file and click "get info" to open this window.. and change the .m4a to .m4r,  under "Name & Extension"t there will be the name of the file and the type of file it is. make sure you change it to .m4r!! This is a very important step! 

then press enter!

change .m4a to .m4r in "get info"

Confirm that you want to change the file from .m4a to .m4r by clicking "Use .m4r" when the pop up shows up when you press enter on your keyboard. 

confirm that you use .m4r extension

Now your file should have a .m4r at the end of the file name on your desktop. 

heres the .m4r file

Drag the .m4r ringtone file back to the iTunes library

drag .m4r to iTunes 

Go to "Tones" section of iTunes by clicking "Music", and the drop-down menu should show "Tones" along with TV shows and movies and whatnot. If it does not show "Tones", click "edit menu" and put a little check next to tones, and click done. 

Go to "Tones"

Now your ringtone should be in the tones section of iTunes. 

Ringtone in "Tones" section of iTunes

You can add the tones you add to your iPhone by plugging your phone into your computer and clicking on the little phone icon located near the top of the iTunes window.

pointing out where the phone icon is when your phones plugged into the computer

Click on "Tones" on the left side of the window. and then click "sync tones". and then you can either click all tones (and it will add all your tones) or click selected tones and you can choose which tones you want to add to your phone by checking the little box next to each tone you want to add.

how to add tones to your phone

Don't forget to press "Sync" to save the tones to your phone.

click sync

Now you may be asking, "How do I use ringtones on my phone?", well if your thinking anything like that, read the rest of this post. 

Go to settings, sounds, ringtone, and select the tone you want (the tones you added will be at the top of the list) then click the back button and the tone you selected will be your new default for everyone.

same with text tones. go to settings, sounds, text tones. and select a tone and then go back and it will be the default for everyone, unless you go to contacts, and click on a contact, and click edit in the top right corner, and go to ringtone, and choose a different ringtone for that contact. if you do that, that contact will have a different ringtone from the default tone you selected in settings. 

If you have any questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I will respond ASAP. or send me an email.