Create an iPhone Ringtone with iTunes

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Are you tired of your iPhone’s ringtone? Perhaps you are so busy using all of the great apps, you just kept the default ringtone. There’s no reason to settle for one of the stock ringtones. It’s easy to make your own iPhone ringtone, and it is absolutely free. With a personalized ring tone, you will also be able to tell whose phone is ringing, which can come in handy in a crowded office or the iHome.

This article covers how to make an iPhone ringtone with iTunes 11. If you are using an older version of iTunes, the process is pretty much the same. The screenshots for this article are based on iTunes 11. Just follow the steps and try to make do with the screenshots, if you are using a different version.

First, launch iTunes 11 and make sure that your preferences are set to show ringtones. Go to iTunes > Preferences and make sure the “General” tab is selected. Make sure “Tones” is checked. Click “OK” to save the changes.

Next, find a piece of music you like. A ringtone can only be a maximum of 30 seconds long. It can be any part of a song. Listen to the song, find the part you like, and note the beginning and end of that segment. Once you find the part song you would like to use, right-click on the song and choose “Get Info” from the pop-up menu.

Pick the “Options” tab from the window that appears. Enter the 30 second (or less) time span for the section of the song. This will eventually be your ringtone. Make sure that “start time” and “stop time” are checked. Click “OK”.

Return to the song you just edited. Right-click on the song, and this time choose “create AAC version”. If you do not see this option listed, you will need to change your import settings. Go to iTunes > Preferences > General tab and click “Import Settings”. Change “Import Using” to “AAC Encoder”. Leave the “Setting” at “iTunes Plus”. Remember to change this back after you have rendered your ringtone file. (continue…)