iPhone ringtone maker (M4R)

iPhone expects ringtones in M4R format. It's really AAC audio in an MPEG-4 container – the same as M4A, just with a different extension that tells Apple it's a ringtone. An iPhone won't accept an MP3 as a ringtone, which is why the conversion matters.

Many sites used to say a browser can't create M4R. Today it can: Chrome, Edge and recent Safari ship a built-in AAC encoder (WebCodecs), and this tool uses it to produce an M4R file directly. We label the file the same way Apple's own ringtones are labeled, so Finder and iTunes recognize it as a ringtone.

On a Mac (macOS Catalina or later):

1. Connect the iPhone with a cable and open Finder.
2. Click the iPhone in the sidebar and, if asked, confirm that you trust the computer.
3. Drag the .m4r file onto the iPhone window (the General tab). Syncing takes a few seconds.

On Windows:

1. Open iTunes (or the newer Apple Devices app, if that's where you manage your phone) and connect the iPhone.
2. Select the device and drag the .m4r file into the “On My Device” section (Tones).

Then on the phone: Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone. Your own ringtone appears at the top of the list. You can also set it as a text tone or as a custom ringtone for a single contact.

Without a computer, you can set the ringtone on the phone itself with Apple's free GarageBand app. Save the file (M4R, M4A or MP3) to the Files app, then:

1. Open GarageBand and start a new project (for example with the Audio Recorder).
2. Switch to Tracks view, open the loop browser and drag in the ringtone from the Files tab.
3. In My Songs, press and hold the project → Share → Ringtone → Export.
4. After exporting you can set it as your default ringtone straight away.

This route turns an MP3 into a ringtone too, so it works even when your browser can't make an M4R.

Firefox has no built-in AAC encoder, so there the tool doesn't offer M4R – it tells you what to do instead: open the page in Chrome, Edge or Safari, or save an MP3 and set it with GarageBand. For Android it doesn't matter anyway: an MP3 works as a ringtone right away, which is what the ringtone maker is for.

• 40 seconds at most: an iPhone won't sync a longer ringtone. 30 seconds is the safe bet – a call rarely rings longer anyway.
• The recognizable bit: the start of the chorus or a signature riff. Don't open with silence or a slow build-up; the first second matters most.
• Fade in 0.5 s, fade out 2 s: no sudden bang at the start, no abrupt cut at the end.
• Loudness: if the song is quiet, normalize it first with the volume booster, then cut out the part.
• For personal use: you can make a ringtone for your own phone from music you bought, but don't share or sell the finished file – the song's rights belong to its creators.

The music is never uploaded: your browser decodes it, builds the M4R and hands it to you as a download. No sign-up, no watermark, no daily limit. Because encoding runs on your device, it even works in airplane mode once the page has loaded.