How to Add Custom Alarm Ringtones in Android

android-default alarm ringtoneIf you are a proud owner of an Android phone and also a heavy alarm clock user, you will know that the default alarm clock app in Android phone does not provides you with lot of options, especially the ringtone. If you are looking to choose from a wide range of songs/ringtones that you are going to wake up with, you are going to be disappointed. There are effectively only one option (another is silent mode) and that is the irritating buzzer alarm.

Luckily, it is very easy to add custom ringtones to your alarm clock, so you don’t have to wake up with the irritating buzzer alarm.

1. First connect your Android phone to the computer, via USB cable.

2. Mount your phone’s SD card to the computer.

android-mount-sdcard

3. Create a new folder call “alarms” (without the quotes) in the main directory of the SD card.

4. Copy all your favorite alarm clock ringtones to the folder.

5. Unmount the card.

6. Start the alarm clock app. You should now see your favorite ringtone in the selection field.

android-custom-ringtone

The same trick can also apply to the call ringtone and notification tone. Simply create two folders, “ringtones” and “notifications” and place the songs in them. They will appear in the respective settings of your phone.

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  • Serra

    I create my own ringtones from songs using free online ringtone tools like the one at mobilespin.net.

    • http://maketecheasier.com/ Damien

      @Serra: Cool site, but you still need to place it in the alarms (or any other) folder before you can use it as your rigntone.

  • Serra

    I create my own ringtones from songs using free online ringtone tools like the one at mobilespin.net.

    • http://maketecheasier.com Damien

      @Serra: Cool site, but you still need to place it in the alarms (or any other) folder before you can use it as your rigntone.

  • http://www.ringtones.co.za/ Jack @ ringtones

    Androids amazing interface makes it so easy to do, it’s a pleasure setting these things up because they are so satisfying to use sometimes.

    • http://maketecheasier.com/ Damien

      @Jack: I agree. Android rocks

  • http://www.ringtones.co.za Jack @ ringtones

    Androids amazing interface makes it so easy to do, it’s a pleasure setting these things up because they are so satisfying to use sometimes.

    • http://maketecheasier.com Damien

      @Jack: I agree. Android rocks

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  • Edgar Pinguicha

    doesn't work on my phone

  • http://maketecheasier.com/ Damien Oh

    I have got it to work in most of the Android phone, so I am quite surprised that it doesn't work for you. What is the model of Android phone that you are using?

    • Allyn W

      I’m using a T-Mobile G2. I can’t get this to work either. I copied the files to the folders just as you instructed. Please help?

  • Guest

    big help. Thanx.

  • Krosins

    Thanx. It's perfect!

  • Ioannisanif

    This doesn't work on my HTC Magic (1.5) nor my HTC Wildfire (2.1)

  • Ioannisanif

    No, it works! :)

  • Namoguy

    Worked Great on my Samsung Facinate… Thanks

  • Slash0190

    Thanks, it worked on my HTC Wildfire 2.1

  • Turlupini

    It worked with my favourite android alarm clock!! WakeVoice :D
    http://wakevoice.adnfxmobile.fr/en/informations/description-generale/

  • Abc

    On Nexus One, you have to copy your (mp3) ringtone in a folder under /media/audio/alarms.

    Then you can select it in the clock app as the notification sound.

  • Anduser

    For those that had problems, the key thing is to mount the SD card for Android to see the new folders and files. If you create the folder and put files in it while the card is mounted (i.e. using a file manager app on the phone), then you still need to unmount/remount for the changes to become visible in the respective menus (alarms, ringtones, etc.)

  • http://jkundproductions.weebly.com/ Josh

    Thank you so much. I’ve ben trying to do this for ever!!

  • Santoy210

    Hay people there is an easyer way to do it and you donte need a computer just go to myxer.com amd.dowmload any ringtone you want its.free then go to music and find the song you just downloaded and hold on it untill a menu comes up then press put as phone ringtone then go to your alarm and the new ringtone should be there and you can also do this for any personalize phone ring tone all you need is an internet connection:)))))

  • Public

    The tip to click-hold on an existing audio file worked for me on 2.1, no folder change needed.

    Maybe not efficient for many files, but just to add an OS-recognized “Ringtone” of one file (good for any “Ringtone” purpose), it worked immediately.

  • Foo

    It’s in the list… but how do i make it the default?

    • http://maketecheasier.com/ Damien Oh

      Go to your Clock settings. Under the ringtone, you will be able to choose your custom ringtone and set it as default.

  • Aishienkaylze

    wow, nice dude! it really works! thnx a lot -^_^-
    -aishien23

  • Jonathangad

    i did it without even connecting to my computer, straight from es file explorer – as you described..

    worked perfectly! thanks

  • http://www.facebook.com/bolivar.dan Dan Bolivar

    Much appreciated, thanks for the nice little trick. :)

  • jack

    great

  • Mae

    sry, but my problem is still up.. I want to give special ringtone to my wife, to my friends and so on.. but this trick you gave does not work here.. android gives me only the system ringtones for that.. how to add my own music there?

  • Mae

    I got the answer allready. you have to download app “ringdroid”. with that you can save ringtones to system folders.

  • Rohanpawar_rlp

    thanks a lot its working for me 

  • aronimus

    I had to place the alarms folder under the audio folder on my Ideos for it to work.   Working now, cheers for pointing me in the right direction.

  • http://huzze.net/ andrei

    Thanks :D I was trying to put the alarms folder inside the media folder. This works only for ringtones and notifications though…

  • Eduardo

    Thanks, I was looking for this for the alarm settings. Still works on 2.3.4 :D

  • http://www.facebook.com/jux.sioux Jux Sioux

    No working for me too. I tried on HD2, 2.2., I also tried to create folder media/audio/ringingtones – still nothing :-(

    • http://maketecheasier.com/ Damien Oh

      Unfortunately I don’t have a HD2 to try out. Theoretically it should work for all phones, but different phone has its own setting, so it might not work.

    • Zachery Ng

      Works on my HD2 running Desire HD 3.06 gingerbread ;) 
      Didn’t know it was so simple! Was thinking of putting it all the way into some root folders or something!
      Thanks!

  • sandy

    Thanks, worked great on my htc merge.  (And I’m a newbie – 1st smartphone)

  • sharsidd

    Excellent tip, thanks! 

  • http://www.hestiaservices.co.uk Armibewo

    Great I’ve been trying to do this for ages. Thanks!

  • Lumbaman32

    Works great on HTC Desire from U.S.Cellular. Upgraded from 2.1 to 2.2 and had lost alarm sound choices. Now I can wake up to melody of my choice. Thanks.

  • http://www.foreclosurephilippines.com Jay Castillo

    Thanks for sharing this tip, works on my Samsung Galaxy Ace!

  • Ice Punyanin

    it works for my Gio, thanks :]

  • Xabi

    Thx for the info!

  • Kay

    I have a new Sanyo ZIO from Cricket wireless and I am not even a little good with electronics I want the phone to sound like a phone ringing when I ha e a call and the alarm to sound more like an alarm all this phonograph has is Very short music. The alarm lasts only 4sec and does not keep going till I shut it off how do I fix this and get more sounds

    • Kay

      Nevermind I downloaded somethig called ringdroid thanks to a poster further down and found old fashioned ring tones. They downloaded with no problem and without having to connect to a computer. Thank you to the earlier poster here!

  • Os Dexterity

    Works fine, but you will need two copies if you want to play it using the media player, as it can’t see these directories

  • Amrita

    didnt work for my HTC wildfire…:(

  • Ernie in Turkey

    Worked PERFECTLY. Thanks for the tips. I started to hate my lovely Samsung Galxy Ace…. But have restored the the warm loving relationship!!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ONSK5NK3R2PP4P4U3XNLGAH7BY PG-13

    Works perfectly on a Samsung Exhibit II.  Thanks!

  • Udhaya2do

    works perfectly. thank you very much

  • Mnkassier

    Thanks. Using Samsung Galaxy y.

  • Ashis kumar Panda

    dat really works

  • Faizdhia22

    absolutely work ^_^ thanks

  • gert

    You could try http://www.absaudioproducties.n/gratisringtones/ for a direct download to your phone

  • Alfeathea

    Thank You!!! I finally got the ringtone sound I want, the notification sound I want, and the alarm I want, all from different mp3 files. Thanks man. And just when I bought a Paid alarm app that I hoped would do the same…

  • Pepietro

    yes that works… But set some ringtone/alarm/notif. from sd card, connect phone via usb as mass storage and after disconnect, your ringtone will be randomly set to anything else… ridiculous bug in android

  • Guest

    So simple but so effective.  This issue was driving me potty but now I have the alarm sound I wanted.

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