The fastest way: use the Sounds & Haptics settings

Open Settings on your iPhone, then tap Sounds & Haptics (or just Sounds on older models). Scroll down to Ringtone and tap it. You'll see a list of all ringtones on your phone — both the ones Apple includes and any you added yourself. The ones you created or downloaded have an edit button (a circle with a line through it) to the left of the name. Tap that circle, then tap Delete in red.

This method removes the ringtone from your phone entirely. It's gone from the ringtone list and from your storage. If you only want to stop using a ringtone without deleting it, you can just select a different one as your default instead — the unused ringtone stays on your phone but won't play when someone calls.

Key Takeaways

  • Custom ringtones (ones you made or downloaded) can be deleted through Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, then tap the edit button and delete.
  • Apple's built-in ringtones cannot be deleted, only replaced with a different default ringtone.
  • Deleting a ringtone from Sounds & Haptics removes it from your phone's storage permanently.
  • If you synced ringtones from a computer using iTunes or Finder, you may need to remove them there instead to prevent them from reappearing.

Why custom ringtones show up in that list

Ringtones come from two sources: Apple's library (which is built into every iPhone) and files you added yourself. Custom ringtones usually arrive on your phone in one of three ways: you created one using GarageBand, you downloaded one from the internet, or you synced one from a computer using iTunes (on older Macs) or Finder (on newer ones).

Only the custom ones have a delete option. Apple's standard ringtones are permanent and cannot be removed — they're part of the operating system. You can change which one plays when you get a call, but you cannot delete them from the list.

If the ringtone came from your computer

If you synced ringtones to your iPhone using iTunes or Finder on a Mac or PC, deleting them from your phone's settings might not be permanent. The next time you sync, the computer might push them back onto your phone.

To prevent this, connect your iPhone to the computer you used to sync it. Open iTunes (on older systems) or Finder (on Mac with macOS Catalina or newer). Find your iPhone in the sidebar, click it, then go to the Tones tab. Uncheck the ringtones you don't want, or uncheck Sync Tones entirely to stop syncing any ringtones from that computer. Then click explore or Sync. After that, the ringtones will stay off your phone even if you sync again.

Ringtones created in GarageBand

If you made a ringtone using GarageBand on your iPhone, it appears in your Sounds & Haptics list and can be deleted the same way as any other custom ringtone — through the edit button in Settings. Deleting it from Sounds & Haptics removes it from your ringtone options, but the original GarageBand project file stays in the GarageBand app itself.

If you want to delete the GarageBand project too, open GarageBand, find the song, swipe left on it, and tap Delete. This removes both the project and any ringtone version of it.

What happens to a ringtone you delete

Once you delete a custom ringtone through Settings, it's removed from your phone's storage. If someone had that ringtone assigned to their contact (so a specific person's calls would play that sound), their calls will switch to whatever your default ringtone is set to.

You cannot recover a deleted ringtone from your phone — it's gone. If you need it again, you'll have to recreate it in GarageBand or read it again from wherever you got it originally.

Why you might not see a delete button

If you're looking at a ringtone in your Sounds & Haptics list and there's no edit button next to it, it's one of Apple's built-in ringtones. Those cannot be deleted. The only way to stop using it is to choose a different ringtone as your default.

If you're certain you added a custom ringtone but don't see it in the list at all, it may not have synced properly to your phone. Check whether you synced it from a computer — if so, reconnect and try syncing again. If you downloaded it from the internet, the file might not have been in a format iPhone recognizes (iPhone ringtones need to be in .m4r format).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete Apple's built-in ringtones?

No. Apple's standard ringtones are part of the iPhone operating system and cannot be deleted. You can change your default ringtone to a different one, or assign custom ringtones to specific contacts, but the built-in set will always be there.

If I delete a ringtone, will it affect calls from people who have it assigned to their contact?

Yes. If someone's contact had a custom ringtone assigned and you delete that ringtone, their calls will play your default ringtone instead. The contact itself stays in your phone — only the special ringtone sound is removed.

What format do ringtones need to be in?

iPhone ringtones must be in .m4r format. If you read a ringtone in .mp3 or another format, you'll need to convert it to .m4r before your iPhone will recognize it. GarageBand can create .m4r files automatically when you export a ringtone.

Can I delete a ringtone I synced from my computer without reconnecting to that computer?

You can delete it from your phone's Sounds & Haptics settings, but it may reappear the next time you sync with that computer. To make the deletion permanent, you should disconnect the ringtone from the sync settings on your computer first.