How to Make an iPhone Ringtone From Any Song for Free — No iTunes Purchase Required
The iPhone Ringtone Format Requirements
iPhone ringtones must be: under 30 seconds, in M4R format (which is just an M4A with a renamed extension), and under 40KB ideally. The browser-based workflow handles the first two requirements — the format conversion requires one extra step.
Step 1: Create the 30-Second Clip
Open Ringtone Maker and upload your audio file. Drag the start and end sliders to find the hook, chorus, or melody section you want. Add a 0.5-second fade-in and 1-second fade-out. Export the WAV.
Step 2: Convert to M4R for iPhone
Open Audio Converter and upload the ringtone WAV. Select WebM output (which uses Opus codec — iTunes/Music can import this). Alternatively, use an M4A/M4R converter app or iTunes itself to convert the WAV.
Step 3: Import to iPhone
Connect your iPhone to a computer with iTunes (Windows) or the Music app (Mac). Drag the converted file into your library, sync it as a ringtone, and assign it to your contact or set it as the default.