Why Tones Is Missing in iTunes and How to Add an iPhone Ringtone

If the Tones library is missing from iTunes, it usually is not an error. Apple removed the standalone Tones media section from later iTunes workflows, and current Windows and macOS apps do not restore it with the old Edit Menu option. The most reliable current method is to create and export the ringtone directly on the iPhone with GarageBand.

Current method: create the ringtone with GarageBand

You need an audio file or an unprotected song stored locally on the iPhone. Subscription tracks protected by digital rights management cannot be imported as ordinary ringtone source files.

1. Install or update GarageBand from the App Store.
2. Touch and hold the GarageBand icon, then choose Create New Audio Recording.
3. Open Tracks view, then open the Loops browser and choose the Files or Music tab.
4. Import the audio and drag it into the track area. Trim the section you want. A GarageBand ringtone can be no longer than 30 seconds; the app can shorten a longer export.
5. Return to My Songs, touch and hold the project, then choose Share > Ringtone.
6. Name the tone, tap Export, and choose Use sound as if you want to set it immediately.

Apple documents this workflow in its custom ringtone guide.

Choose the new ringtone

Open Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone and select the exported tone. To assign it to one person, open Contacts, select the contact, tap Edit > Ringtone, and choose the tone.

Purchased tones can be browsed in the iTunes Store app under More > Tones. If you previously bought tones, open a sound category in Settings > Sounds & Haptics and look for Download All Purchased Tones.

Why the old Edit Menu fix may not work

The screenshots below are from an older iTunes release in which media categories could be shown or hidden. They are useful only if your installation still has that exact interface.

Legacy step 1: open the media selector

In old iTunes, the selector near the upper-left corner often displayed Music by default.

Legacy step 2: choose Edit Menu

Opening the selector displayed Music, Movies, TV Shows, and an Edit Menu command.

Legacy step 3: enable Tones

In versions that still supported the category, selecting the Tones checkbox and clicking Done added it to the selector.

Legacy step 4: open the Tones library

The Tones item then appeared alongside the other media categories.

The library listed ringtone files already imported into that version of iTunes.

If Edit Menu exists but does not offer Tones, reinstalling an older, unsupported iTunes build is not a safe fix. Use GarageBand or the current device-management workflow instead.

If GarageBand cannot import the audio

• Move the source file into the Files app and confirm that it plays.
• Use an unprotected MP3, M4A, WAV, or other format supported by GarageBand.
• Download an eligible song locally before trying to import it.
• Shorten the source and remove long silence before export.
• Confirm that the iPhone has enough free storage.

Use only audio you own or have permission to edit. If you start from a downloaded tone, this comparison of ringtone sources and file formats explains why iPhone files often use M4R. Readers maintaining a genuinely old iTunes setup can consult the iTunes beginner guide for the historical interface.