The iPhone comes with a small selection of default ringtones, but you can make your own using any mp3 or DRM-free song in iTunes. Below are step-by-step instructions on how to do this.

How to Make an iPhone Ringtone in iTunes:

1. Open iTunes.

2. Open Preferences in the iTunes menu at the top:

3. Select the General tab:

4. Select Import Settings:

5. Click on the dropdown list after Importing Using:

6. Select AAC Encoder (it may already be the default):

7. Select OK to go back to the Preferences, then select OK again.

8. Select Music in the left iTunes sidebar and find a song you want to make into a ringtone:

9. You’ll need to find a 40 second or less section of the song to turn into a ringtone. Note (or write down) the starting and stopping point of the section of the song. You can see the time of the song in the play window at the top of iTunes:

10. Right click on the song, and select Get Info:

11. Select the Options tab at the top:

12. Enter the start and stop time of the clip in the corresponding boxes and make sure the checkboxes are checked when you are finished:

13. Click OK in the bottom right.

14. Right click the song again and select Create AAC Version:

15. You should see a second version of the song appear in iTunes, only with the shorter play time. Click to play to make sure it sounds how you’ll want the ringtone to sound.

16. We aren’t quite finished yet! Now we have to change the file format so that it will appear as a ringtone in iTunes.

17. Navigate to the folder where the new clip is stored on your computer (it will be in the same folder as the original version of the song). If you’re on a Mac, simply right-click the clip and select Show In Finder.

18. Copy the song (press Control and C for Windows, Command and C for Mac), and paste the song in the same folder (Control and V or Command and V) so that a third version appears.

19. Now, change the file extension of the third version from .m4a to .m4r. If you’re on Windows XP and don’t see the file extension, go to Tools –> Folder Options –> View and uncheck Hide extensions for known file types. For Vista: Organize –> Folder and Search Options and uncheck Hide extension for known file types.

20. Rename the file, if you want (for example, AfromanRingtone.m4r). Note: If there are symbols such as underscores or hyphens in the name you must remove them from the name.

21. Important: In iTunes, delete the first AAC clip you made by right-clicking on the clip and selecting delete (if you don’t do this, iTunes might not accept the new ringtone):

22. Go back to the folder with the new ringtone file (.m4r file). Drag and drop the file into iTunes. Or import it by opening iTunes, select File, and select: Windows XP/Vista: Add File to Library, Mac: Add to Library.

23. Now we need to sync the ringtone to your iPhone. Connect the iPhone to the computer.

24. Click on your iPhone in the left sidebar in iTunes:

25. Click on the Ringtones tab, check the Sync ringtones checkbox, then check All ringtones or Selected ringtones.:

26. Now click the Apply button in the bottom right (it may also say Sync. Click Sync if it does).

And that’s it. You’ve done it! the ringtone is now on the iPhone. Got to Settings on your iPhone, tap Sounds, and you can change to your new ringtone.

Clean Up

You made the ringtone, but you’ve left a little mess behind. Let’s clean up. First, we need to fix the Start/Stop time of the original song. Otherwise, the next time you play the song, it won’t play the whole thing. In iTunes, right click the original song, select Get Info –> Options and reset the Start/Stop time by deleting the numbers and leaving the fields blank. Next, delete the second version of song you created (not the ringtone). Just right click and select Delete.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having problems getting the ringtones to sync from iTunes onto the iPhone, here’s another trick to try (first confirm there are no hyphens or other symbols in name, and the ringtone is not over 40 seconds).

Create a playlist by going to File–>New Playlist. Name it Ringtones and add your ringtones to it by dragging and dropping them on the playlist. Still in iTunes, click on your iPhone under Devices in the left sidebar, select the Music tab, check the Sync music checkbox, then either click All songs and playlists if you have enough memory on your iPhone, or Selected playlists and check the checkbox for the Ringtones playlist you just created. Now sync.