Level 1

47 points

iTunes 12.7 will not import my .m4r ringtones!

I'm having a frustrating time trying to figure this out. My ringtones will not drop into the iTunes sidebar, Tones section or anywhere in the iTunes library. They are true .m4r files that I've been using as ringtones for about five years. I've even tried recreating new .m4r files and they won't import into iTunes 12.7 at all. It looks like iTunes doesn't recognize .m4r files at all. I even uninstalled 12.7 and reinstalled iTunes 12.6, which did recognize my ringtones. But I had to re-upgrade to 12.7 after I realized that 12.6 doesn't work with my iOS 11 equipped iPhone 8. Does anyone have any useful advice?

I'm running:

iTunes 12.7.0.166

Yosemite 10.10.5

iPhone 8 iOS 11.01

Ringtones are 15 second long or shorter, .m4r files.

iPod nano, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2), 7th Generation

Posted on Sep 28, 2017 11:07 AM

Top-ranking reply

turingtest2

Level 10

278,179 points

Posted on Sep 28, 2017 11:57 AM

Drop on the device in the sidebar, not the tone section (odd as that might seem).

tt2

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85 replies

Oct 30, 2017 7:33 AM in response to turingtest2

Windows. Most recent updates of Win10 and iTunes. They're definitely .m4r files, and iTunes (and my phone, for that matter), plays the files as legitimate (albeit 29-second-long) songs. I've posted below, in answer to another comment, a longer explanation of what I've experienced.

Dec 12, 2017 2:35 PM in response to pacrimguru

The only thing I've had work is dragging to desktop from File Sharing in "Ringtones" app, associating iTunes with .m4r system wide (Windows), and then CTRL+C > CTRL+V in Tones. A drag and drop wouldn't work.

Rob154B

Level 1

4 points

Apr 8, 2018 9:23 PM in response to pacrimguru

Click on your device from the side bar in iTunes, and then click on tones so that your device and list of tones appear on the right (the main area where your songs would be if you were looking at your library). Drag the file from your desktop and drop it directly in the list on the right (not in the sidebar). Then allow your device to sync and eject it. The ringtone should now appear with the rest of your alert sounds in your phone.

Apr 10, 2018 8:57 PM in response to pacrimguru

I used to add ringtone in iTunes 12.7.3 using the drag and drop method to the new tone page.

However, after update to iTunes 12.7.4, I got stuck into the "dotted circle" and the ringtone are not copying to the iPhone.

Any solution?

turingtest2

Level 10

278,179 points

Apr 11, 2018 3:11 AM in response to Brian Yip

Use iFunBox or a similar utility to poke around in the file system of the device. (Decline any special offers while installing.) In iFunBox use Toolbox > User File System > iPod_Control > Ringtones to locate the ringtone storage area. Any custom tones on your device will show up there with random 4 letter file names and a .m4r extension. Deleting these should clear all custom tones from the list on the device, and you can then try adding back what you want using iTunes.

tt2

Wingco39

Level 1

9 points

Apr 11, 2018 4:22 AM in response to pacrimguru

Thanks jamzeze, sensible advice and it works just fine. Copy and Paste is the way to go! I am using an iMac running the latest version of High Sierra and iTunes V12.7.3.46 and a connected iPhone 8 running iOS V11.2.6. Copy the ringtone file on your desktop and then Paste it onto the highlighted portion of the sidebar - User uploaded file

turingtest2

Level 10

278,179 points

Oct 30, 2017 7:47 AM in response to dittoheadadt

Hmm, neither iTunes nor the iPhone should show .m4r tone files in the Music sections of their respective libraries.

tt2

Wingco39

Level 1

9 points

Apr 11, 2018 4:26 AM in response to Brian Yip

Just copy the ringtone file from your desktop and then paste it onto the sidebar in iTunes.

Apr 11, 2018 3:07 PM in response to Brian Yip

I’ve got the same issue.cant figure out for the life of me how to fix it.ive been looking everywhere.

Apr 13, 2018 10:53 AM in response to pacrimguru

Issue resolved by instead of dragging, got to file>add file to library. Then go to tones under settings (left side of screen) select all tones then apply button on bottom right.

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iTunes 12.7 will not import my .m4r ringtones!