How to Add Ringtone to iPhone Without iTunes: As You Like

To edit iPhone ringtones or transfer ringtones from PC to iPhone, just read this passage and you can get all things to make it without iTunes or GarageBand.

By @Kathy Last Updated November 18, 2024

Custom iPhone ringtones allow you to easily set your favorite sounds as call alerts. Typically, you might think of using iTunes to accomplish this. However, for most users, the iTunes interface is very difficult to use and quite illogical, making the process complex.

Besides, due to system differences, Windows users may also encounter sudden iTunes failures, like iTunes error 8003. So how to add a custom ringtone on iPhone without iTunes might be a big headache. But don’t worry, you can find useful ways in this full guide!

1. How to add ringtone to iPhone without iTunes from PC [Recommended]

When you need to set music files on your iPhone as ringtones or want to transfer music files from your PC to your iPhone for customizing ringtones, FoneTool will be your best helper.

FoneTool

Professional iPhone Ringtone Maker & Transfer Software

  • Easily edit music/video files stored on iPhone or PC from Windows computer.
  • Edited songs/videos can be converted to M4R (official ringtone format) automatically.
  • Transfer ringtones from computer to iPhone without any limitation.
  • 100 + high-quality songs can be moved within minutes.
  • Directly find and set edited ringtones in your iPhone Settings.

Now you can download FoneTool from your Windows PC and learn from the steps to get how to set ringtone in iPhone without iTunes and GarageBand.

Warm Tips:
· To set music/video from iPhone files to ringtone & edit sounds and set them as iPhone ringtones, please go to Part 1.
· To directly transfer music files (supports various formats) from computer to iPhone and set them as ringtones, please skip to Part 2.

Part 1. How to set ringtone in iPhone from files without GarageBand

Step 1. Launch FoneTool > Go to Toolbox > Choose Ringtone Maker.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to the computer via a USB cable, and you may need to tap on Trust on the device to continue > Select From Device to choose music files from PC > Preview and choose iPhone files as you like > Click Select to continue.

πŸ‘‰οΈ Tip: To edit files on your computer, you can choose From Computer.

Step 3. Edit the file as you like. You can convert any audio (MP3, M4A, AAC, etc.) and video (MP4, AVI, WMV, etc.) files to M4R ringtones > Click Save to Device to add the ringtones to your iPhone.

πŸ‘‰οΈ Tip: For more details about FoneTool’s ringtone maker feature, please go to the ringtones maker help guide.

Step 4. Now you can go to Settings on iPhone > Choose Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone to personalize your call and message notifications.

Part 2. How to add a custom ringtone on iPhone without iTunes from PC for free

If your music files are stored on PC and you don’t need to edit them anymore, you can rely on FoneTool’s ringtone transfer feature to easily put songs on PC to your iPhone Settings.

Step 1. Download and install iTunes > Connect your iPhone to the Windows PC.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Step 2. Launch FoneTool > Go to Phone Transfer > Choose PC to iPhone and click Get Started to continue.

Step 3. Drag and drop songs from the PC or click the on-screen area to add files on PC.

πŸ‘‰οΈ Tip: Various media formats including MP3, M4A, WMA, WAV, RM, MDI, MKV, FLAC, WEBM, AAC, etc. can be easily converted to M4R automatically during the transfer process.

Step 4. Confirm the data you need to move and click on Start Transfer to begin the task.

Once the action is accomplished, you can launch iPhone Settings > Go to Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone to directly set the moved files as your call and message notifications.

2. How to set ringtone in iPhone from files with GarageBand

The official method for setting a custom ringtone on iOS is through GarageBand. This app, developed by Apple, is accessible to all iOS users and allows you to create any song as your iPhone ringtone. Before the process, you should ensure your iPhone is running iOS 14 or later.

Step 1. Open GarageBand on your iPhone > Tap the icon and swipe to find the Audio Reorder option > You can either record a new sound or import an audio file you want to use as your ringtone.

Step 2. Tap the Loop icon shown below, then choose Files, Music, or Apple Loops to locate your ringtone > Drag and drop the ringtone into the audio workspace.

Step 3. Double-tap the custom ringtone and select Split. Use the Scissors icon to trim it as needed, then double-tap any unwanted sections and choose Delete.

Step 4. Tap the down arrow in the top-left corner, select My Songs, then press and hold your audio file to tap Share > Ringtone > Name your ringtone and tap Export.

Step 5. Tap Use sound as… to set it as your ringtone immediately.

Conclusion

Here you can know how to add ringtone to iPhone without iTunes. We offer 2 ways to help you easily make it. If you need a simple action to edit iPhone ringtones or transfer ringtones from PC to iPhone, the professional ringtones maker - FoneTool will be a nice choice. To directly finish the process from iPhone, using GarageBand is also useful.