How to download music on Xiaomi: all ways of 2026

Tired of the standard ringing tunes on your Xiaomi, Redmi or POCO? Want to install your favorite track but don’t know how to do it correctly? In this article, we’ll look at all the current ways to upload music to a call, from simple to advanced, including bypassing the limitations of MIUI and working with file formats.

The manufacturer often blocks custom tunes from being set through standard settings, especially on newer firmware versions (MIUI 14/15).But there are proven methods that work even on the latest models - Xiaomi 14 Ultra, Redmi Note 13 Pro+ or POCO F6. We will also tell you how to avoid cropping the track, preserve the sound quality and not encounter the error "File is not supported."

Important: Some methods require access to a file system or install third-party applications, and if you're a beginner, start with the first two, they're the safest and don't require root rights.

1. Standard method through "Settings" (does not work on all models)

The most obvious, but also the most limited method, Xiaomi allows you to set the ringtone only from pre-uploaded files to the Ringtones folder.

1. Download the desired track to your phone (for example, through a browser or Telegram).
2. Move the file to the Internal Storage → Ringtones folder (if you don’t have the folder, create it manually).
3. Open Settings → Sound and vibration → Call melody.
4. Select Local Melodies and find your file.

⚠️ Problems with this method:

• 🔊 The file should be in format.mp3,.m4a or.ogg (length up to 30 seconds).
• 📱 On some models (e.g. Xiaomi) 13T) Ringtones folder ignored by system.
• 🎵 The beginning of the track is cut (firsts) 5-10 seconds may be lost).

💡

If the Ringtones folder doesn’t appear in the settings, restart your phone or use a file manager with system folder permissions (such as MiXplorer).

2.Use of the Music app (MIUI Music)

The built-in MIUI Music app (or Mi Music) can set tracks as ringtones, but with nuances, and it works on most devices, including the Redmi Note 12 and POCO X5:

1. Open the Music app and find the track you want to use.
2. Click on three dots next to the track → “Install as” → “Call melody”.
3. Confirm the choice in the window that opens.

🔹 Limitations:

• 🎶 It only works with files uploaded to the Music or Download folder.
• 🕒 Cuts the track up to 30 seconds (starts at random).
• 🚫 Does not support streaming music (such as from Spotify or YouTube Music).

If the track you want isn’t showing up in the app, check the format. MIUI Music doesn’t work with.flac or.wav files, but you need to convert them to.mp3 (you can use online services like Online-Convert).

3. Third-party apps for tunes (Zedge, Ringtone Maker)

If the standard methods don't work, specialized applications will come to the rescue. We tested the 3 best for Xiaomi:

🔹 Instructions for Zedge:

1. Install the application and allow access to the files.
2. Find your favorite tune (or upload yours through My Zedge).
3. Press "Set as» → «Ringtone».
4. Confirm in the system window.

⚠️ Attention: On Xiaomi with MIUI 14+ After installation through Zedge, the melody may reset after rebooting. To avoid this, copy the file from the Zedge folder to Ringtones manually.

Track length not exceeding 40 seconds|Format.mp3 or.m4a|The file is located in the Download or Music folder.|Restrictions on the application in Settings are disabled→Annexes-->

4. Download music from YouTube (without a computer)

You want to use a YouTube snippet as a ringtone, and you can do it right on your phone without a PC.

• 📱 Browser (such as Chrome or Firefox).
• 🎵 Online Converter (We recommend) YTMP3 or YT1s).
• 🔧 A cropping app (e.g. Ringtone Maker).

🔹 Step-by-step instruction:

1. Open the browser video with the desired song on YouTube.
2. Copy the link to the video (click Share → Copy the link).
3. Go to the converter site (e.g. ytmp3.cc) and paste the link.
4. Select MP3 format and 128 kbps quality (no more required for calling).
5. Download the file to your phone.
6. Cut the track to 30 seconds in Ringtone Maker.
7. Set as a melody through the app or manually (see method 1).

⚠️ Attention: Some converters add watermarks or ads to the beginning of the track. Check the downloaded file before cropping! Also avoid sites requiring the installation of additional applications - it can be a virus.

5. Manual copying of files via PC (for power users)

If none of the previous methods worked, try copying the file directly to the system folder, which requires connecting the phone to a computer, but it works even on MIUI 15.

🔹 What's the matter:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 📎 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 🔧 Enabled Mode File Transfer (MTP) phone-on.

🔹 Instructions:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and allow access to files.
2. Open the Internal Storage folder on your phone.
3. Create a media folder (if it is not available), and inside it – an audio folder.
4. In the audio folder, create subfolders: media └── audio ├── alarms (for alarm clocks) ├── notifications (for notifications) └── ringtones (for calls)
5. Copy yours.mp3-file in ringtones.
6. Turn off the phone and restart it.
7. Now the melody will be available in Settings → Sound → Call Melody → Local.

Critical nuance: the file name should contain only Latin characters and not exceed 32 Like a sign, my_ringtone.mp3 — I think it's okay, but my favorite song is from the album_2023.mp3 — no.

💡

The media/audio/ringtones folder is a universal method that works on all versions of Android, including MIUI. If the melody does not appear in the settings, check the folder access rights (should be 755).

6. circumvention of MIUI restrictions (for advanced users)

On newer versions of MIUI (14 and higher), Xiaomi blocks custom tunes through standard methods. If you encounter a “file not supported” error or the tune is reset after a reboot, try these solutions:

🔹 Method 1: Changing the file extension

Sometimes MIUI refuses to accept files with the.mp3 extension. Rename the file to.ogg or.m4a (for example, through Total Commander):

mv /sdcard/Download/song.mp3 /sdcard/Ringtones/song.m4a

🔹 Method 2: Use of the ADB (rootless)

If you have access to ADB, you can manually write the path to the tune in the system settings. Connect the phone to your PC and do:

adb shell settings put system ringtone /storage/emulated/0/Ringtones/your_song.mp3

Replace. your_song.mp3 in the name of your file.

🔹 Method 3: Installation via Recovery (for stitched phones)

If you have custom Recovery installed (e.g. TWRP), you can copy the file directly to the system folder:

1. Boot in Recovery (turn off the phone, then pinch Power + Volume up).
2. Connect your phone to your PC and copy the file to /system/media/audio/ringtones.
3. Set permissions 644 for the file.
4. Reboot the phone.

⚠️ Warning: Changing system files without root rights can cause a crash MIUI. Before experimenting, make a backup through Settings → Additionally. → Backup.

FAQ: Frequent Questions and Problems