What is a .m4r file?
iPhone Ringtone File · Audio · Apple · 2007
An .m4r file is an iPhone ringtone: an AAC audio clip in an MPEG-4 container, identical to an .m4a file except for the extension, which is what tells iOS to treat it as a ringtone.
What is a .m4r file used for?
Apple limits ringtones by convention, not by codec: rename a short .m4a to .m4r and it becomes installable as a tone. The clip must stay under 40 seconds (about 30 for reliable use) or iOS will refuse it.
Getting the tone onto the phone is the fiddly part: through the Music app / Finder sync, through GarageBand on the iPhone itself, or via a purchase from the iTunes Store. Android ignores the extension gimmick and plays it as normal AAC audio.
What opens a .m4r file?
The .m4r format opens in the following apps, grouped by operating system. If one app does not work, try another from the same list.
Windows
- iTunes
- VLC
- any AAC-capable player
macOS
- Music / Finder (sync to iPhone)
- GarageBand
- VLC
Linux
- VLC
- ffmpeg
Open a .m4r file step by step
- Confirm the file really is a .m4r. Drop it into the WhatFileType identifier, which reads its signature in your browser without uploading anything.
- On Windows, open it with iTunes or VLC.
- On Mac, use Music / Finder (sync to iPhone) or GarageBand.
- On Linux, try VLC or ffmpeg.
- Still stuck? Convert the .m4r to m4a (rename), which opens more widely.
Why can't I open my .m4r file?
Almost always because no installed app understands M4R. Install one of the apps above, or convert the file to a format your existing software already reads. If double-clicking opens the wrong program instead of nothing at all, the file association is set to the wrong app rather than the file being broken.
The other possibility is that the file is not really a .m4r at all. Drop it into the file identifier to check it by its bytes instead of its name. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert a .m4r file
You can convert a .m4r file to m4a (rename), mp3, wav using a conversion tool or the export menu of an app that opens it.
What is the .m4r file signature (magic bytes)?
A .m4r file carries the hex bytes 66 74 79 70 at offset 4, which read as ftyp in ASCII. Programs identify M4R by those bytes, not by the filename, so a renamed file still gives itself away.
These are the documented signatures for M4R. For a full breakdown, see the MP4 file signature page.
| Hex signature | Offset | ASCII | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66 74 79 70 | 4 | ftyp | MPEG-4 container (ftyp), M4A brand |
See the full magic-numbers reference for every format.
Frequently asked questions
What is a .m4r file?
An .m4r file is an iPhone ringtone: an AAC audio clip in an MPEG-4 container, identical to an .m4a file except for the extension, which is what tells iOS to treat it as a ringtone.
How do I make an .m4r ringtone?
Trim a song to under 30-40 seconds, export it as AAC (.m4a) and rename the extension to .m4r, or build the tone directly in GarageBand on the iPhone, which installs it too.
How do I put an .m4r file on my iPhone?
Connect the phone and drag the file onto it in Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows), then pick it under Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone.
What is the difference between .m4r and .m4a?
Only the extension. Both are AAC audio in an MPEG-4 container; the .m4r name is Apple's marker that the file is a ringtone.
Related formats
Sources
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