How to Make a Ringtone from a Video on iPhone

A laugh, a song from a party, a pet’s bark — any sound from your videos can become your ringtone. iOS 26 made this easy once you have an audio file.

Step by step

1. 

   1.Share the video to the app

   Open the video in Photos or Files, tap the Share button and choose Extract Audio. The app opens with the video already loaded.

2. 

   2.Trim to 30 seconds or less

   Tap Trim Video and select up to 30 seconds — the ringtone limit.

3. 

   3.Extract and save to Files

   Tap Extract Audio (M4A or MP3), then Share → Save to Files.

4. 

   4.Use as Ringtone

   In the Files app, long-press the audio file, tap Share and choose Use as Ringtone (iOS 26). Confirm in Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone.

Extract Audio from Video⁺Free on the App Store · MP3 & M4A · on-device

On iOS 18: the GarageBand method

1. Extract and trim the audio as above and save it to Files.
2. Open GarageBand, start an Audio Recorder project and switch to Tracks view.
3. Tap the Loop Browser → Files → Browse items from the Files app, and drag your audio into a track.
4. Go back to My Songs, long-press the project → Share → Ringtone → Export.

Why Use as Ringtone is missing

• The file is longer than 30 seconds — trim it again.
• The file is not MP3 or M4A.
• Your iPhone is not on iOS 26 yet — use the GarageBand method.

Frequently asked questions