How to Copy a Ringtone

Buying ringtones can really add up after a while. Between fees for each ringtone and subscription fees to ringtone providers, your cellphone bill can skyrocket. Moreover, once you've bought or downloaded a lot of ringtones, you don't want to give them up when you buy a new phone. Rather than downloading a ton of new ringtones, you can copy them from your old phone or from other people. Copying a ringtone from one phone or computer to another isn't hard, and it can save you a lot of money.

Things You'll Need

• Cellphone capable of receiving custom ringtones

Instructions

Copy a Ringtone Using Bluetooth

1. Determine whether your phone (phone A) and the phone that has the ringtone you want (phone B) both have Bluetooth capability. Bluetooth is the easiest way to copy a ringtone from one phone to another.

2. Find the ringtone file you want on phone B and select it.

3. Choose "send via Bluetooth" or a related menu option on phone B, and put the phones within range of each other.

4. Locate phone A among the list of nearby Bluetooth devices, and press "Send" or "OK" to send the transmission.

5. Accept the Bluetooth transmission on Phone A, and store the ringtone in your sound folder with your other ringtones.

Copy Ringtones on a Computer

1. Connect your phone to your computer using the data cable provided with your phone. Alternatively, you may use a Bluetooth connection if it is available.

2. Move the ringtone file from the sound folder on your phone to the desktop of your computer, or send it from your phone to your computer with Bluetooth.

3. Duplicate the ringtone file on your desktop by selecting "Duplicate" or "Copy file" from the menu.

4. Create multiple copies of your ringtone to email to friends if you so desire.

Tips & Warnings

• Copy a ringtone to or from phones that do not have Bluetooth by using media-text messaging or email attachments.

• Make sure both phones support the same ringtone format. Some ringtone formats are incompatible with other phones, and you may have to run them through a sound converter before you can use them with another phone.

• Send a ringtone file to your computer using your cellphone's email function.

• Some ringtones are locked to prevent copying. This is how companies protect their products. To date, there is no reliable way to unlock protected ringtones.