Make an iPhone ringtone with GarageBand

Prepare a usable file

Use a recording or audio file that you own or have permission to use. Download it to the phone first so the import does not depend on a cloud placeholder. Give it an easy-to-find name. A streaming subscription’s offline cache is not a general audio file for this purpose.

Import and export

1. Open a GarageBand audio recording project and switch to Tracks view.
2. Open the Loop Browser. Choose Files for a saved file or Music for a locally stored, unprotected song. Drag the selected audio onto the track.
3. Trim the region to the phrase you want and position it at the start. Keep the ringtone at or below 30 seconds.
4. Return to My Songs. Select the project, open Share and choose Ringtone.
5. Name the tone and export it. Use the offered sound-assignment choice, or select it later in Settings.

Why the wrong part can appear

The section length in a project can limit how much of an imported file is shown. If the part you want is beyond that limit, review the song-section length before choosing your excerpt. Moving the playhead does not trim a region: check the region boundaries and listen to the actual start.

For a clean result, choose boundaries where the sound naturally begins and ends. A long pause at the beginning delays what callers trigger. A distinctive short name helps distinguish this export from earlier attempts.

If import is disabled

Check local download and protection status. If the song cannot be imported, obtain a permitted unprotected source or use your own recording. Do not rename a protected download to MP3. If GarageBand itself will not install on your older phone, check the supported OS requirement in the App Store; this guide does not promise availability on every older iPhone.

Related guides

• Set an iPhone ringtone without downloading another app
• Which audio files work for custom ringtones?
• Custom ringtones on an older iPhone
• Delete a ringtone exported from GarageBand