How to delete a custom ringtone on Samsung or Android

On Samsung, remove an added ringtone with the minus button beside it when your ringtone list shows that control. To remove a downloaded audio file, use My Files or Files by Google. Choose a replacement ringtone first. Deleting a file and removing a saved picker entry are separate operations, especially on Pixel.

Published by Ringy · Reviewed 2026-10-20

In this guide

Do you want to change the sound or delete it?
Remove a Samsung custom ringtone from the list
Delete the downloaded file with Samsung My Files
Delete an audio file on Pixel or another Android phone
Why is the name still in Pixel My Sounds?
Check contacts and test the replacement

Do you want to change the sound or delete it?

If you only want a different incoming-call sound, choose another ringtone in Settings. You do not need to delete anything. Before removing an audio file, change any contact, alarm or notification that uses it and keep a backup if you may want it again.

Samsung custom entry: use the minus control when available.
A downloaded audio file: delete that specific file in your file manager.
A Pixel My Sounds entry that remains: file deletion may not finish the picker cleanup. See the limits below.

Remove a Samsung custom ringtone from the list

Open Settings → Sounds and vibration → Ringtone. If the phone asks, choose the SIM whose ringtone you want to manage.
Select a replacement sound before removing the old one.
Find the added track and tap the minus (−) beside its name, when shown. Read any confirmation before proceeding.
Return to the ringtone list and check the selected replacement.

Samsung's own instructions document this control and say standard built-in tones cannot be removed from the list. Menu labels and availability vary. Our supplied Galaxy A16 screenshots, identified by the owner as One UI 8.5, show the minus controls; they do not show a completed removal test.

If there is no minus button, do not assume a hidden long-press menu exists. Use the file method for a downloaded track you can identify. Removing the picker entry is not evidence that every source copy or backup was deleted.

Delete the downloaded file with Samsung My Files

Open My Files and locate the audio. Search its filename or inspect the folder where you saved it.
Check the file carefully, particularly if several versions have the same title. Keep the version you still use.
Touch and hold that file, then choose Delete.
If offered, confirm Move to Recycle bin. Avoid selecting a whole folder when you only intend to remove one tone.

Samsung documents this file-deletion sequence. Its Recycle bin availability varies by model; supported bins keep items for 30 days before permanent deletion. Keep the recoverable copy until you have checked the replacement sound. See Samsung ringtone setup to add a different local sound.

Delete an audio file on Pixel or another Android phone

In Files by Google, open the appropriate audio category or storage location. In list view, open the file's menu; in grid view, touch and hold the file and open its menu. Choose Move to Trash for the selected file. These are Google's file-management steps, not a promise that every phone's sound picker will immediately forget the entry.

Files by Google normally retains trashed files for 30 days. To recover a mistaken deletion, open its menu, choose Trash, select the file and restore it. Avoid emptying all of Trash just to remove one ringtone.

Why is the name still in Pixel My Sounds?

A saved picker entry and the original file are not necessarily the same thing. We have verified Google's file-deletion instructions, but not a current universal removal control for every Pixel My Sounds version. If your picker offers a delete action for the individual custom sound, read its confirmation. If it does not, choose a different working ringtone and seek instructions for your exact Sounds app and Android version.

We do not recommend clearing all Sounds or Media Storage data to remove one entry. The evidence reviewed does not establish a narrow effect, and this guide does not claim that deleting the source always clears the saved list. You can still complete the useful immediate task: select a replacement and remove an unwanted downloaded file.

Check contacts and test the replacement

A contact-specific ringtone can differ from the phone's default. If only one caller still uses the old sound, update that contact using our contact ringtone guide. Alarms and notification sounds have separate selectors too.

Test an incoming call after making the change. If the replacement is missing or silent, follow ringtone troubleshooting. For a new ready-made sound, Ringy is an optional next step; it is not needed to delete a local file.

Related guides

Sources & compatibility

Manufacturer documentation reviewed October 20, 2026. Samsung minus-control presence is also visible in owner-supplied Galaxy A16 / One UI 8.5 screenshots; deletion was not physically tested in this review. Pixel file deletion is documented, but universal My Sounds entry removal remains unverified and is explicitly limited in the guide.

Ringy publishes this guide about its own app and phone setup. Menus can vary by device, OS version and region. For a correction, email help@rin.gy.