How to change the ringtone on Xiaomi Redmi Note 7: all the ways from standard to hidden

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 remains a popular smartphone even years after its release, but many users still have difficulty trying to change the standard ringtone. Unlike today's flagships, where the MIUI interface has become more intuitive, in this model the process is hidden behind several menus, and some functions work in an unobvious way. For example, you will not find a separate section "Sounds" in quick settings - it will have to look for in the depth of the parameters.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can change ringtone, from basic selections of preset tunes to installing your own tracks through the file system. We’ll focus on MIUI’s hidden limit to the duration of custom ringtone (30 seconds maximum) – a common reason why your favorite song gets cut off when you call, and you’ll learn how to bypass blocking the change of sounds for individual contacts if this option suddenly disappears after an update.

Method 1: Standard Rington Change through MIUI Settings

The easiest method is to use the built-in tools of the system, which is suitable if you are happy with pre-installed tunes or you have pre-loaded audio files into the Ringtones folder.

1. Open the Settings app** (the gear icon on the home screen).
2. Go to Sound and Vibration (in some versions of MIUI, it may be called Sound and Vibration).
3. Slip on the item "Melody of the call" (or "rington").
4. In the list that opens, select one of the standard tunes. To listen, click on the triangle to the right of the name.
5. Confirm the choice with the OK button or a tick in the upper corner.

If you don't have a good tune on the list, you can add your own.

• 📁 Move the audio file (formats.mp3,.wav,.m4a) In the Internal Storage folder → Ringtones (create it manually if it is not available).
• 🔄 Reboot your phone – new files will appear in the list of available ringtones.
• 🎵 Choose the added track as the main melody.

Download the audio file with duration ≤30 seconds|Convert to format MP3 (bitrate 128-192 kbit/s)|Rename the file Latin without spaces|Place it in the Ringtones folder on the internal drive-->

An important nuance: MIUI caches the list of ringtones, so you may need to reboot after adding new files. If the melody does not appear, make sure that the file is not hidden (the name does not start from a dot) and its size does not exceed 5 MB.

Method 2: Install a ringtone for a separate contact

Redmi Note 7 can assign a unique tune to a specific subscriber, which is convenient to identify important calls without looking at the screen.

1. Open the Contacts app (or Phone → Contacts tab).

If the call melody option is not in the contact card, it means that:

• 📱 You have an outdated version installed. MIUI (Update the firmware through Settings → The phone. → Updating the system.
• 🔕 The contact is synced to a Google account where this feature is disabled. Try creating a local contact.
• 🛠️ The default settings are reset. Reboot your phone and check again.

Once a month | Once every six months |Only when you buy a phone |Never changed-->

⚠️ Note: On some Redmi Note 7 firmware, after assigning a custom ringtone to the contact, the standard melody may be reset to a default one. To avoid this, make sure that the sound settings are in place before saving the contact (Settings) → Sound and vibrations) any melody selected except by default.

Method 3: Using third-party ringtone apps

If the built-in MIUI tools seem limited, you can use third-party utilities, such as Zedge, which is available on Google Play, and offers thousands of free tunes, notifications and alarms.

1. Install Zedge from the official store.
2. Launch the application and give access to the storage.
3. Go to the Ringtones tab and select your favorite track.
4. Press the Set button and confirm the selection.

The advantages of Zedge:

• 🎶 Large library of melodies with pre-listening.
• 🔍 Ability to search by genres, mood or popularity.
• 📥 Automatically upload files to the correct folder (Ringtones or Notifications).

Alternative annexes:

⚠️ Note: When using third-party ringtone apps, turn off optimization of their performance in battery settings (Settings) → Battery → Battery optimization? Otherwise MIUI can force the background processes to close, and the melodies will not be played.

Method 4: Manual downloading ringtones via PC

If you want to use your own audio files, but they don't appear in the ringtones list, you can download them through your computer, and this method ensures that the files are properly placed in the system folders.

You'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with Windows/macOS/Linux.
• 📶 USB-cable (preferably original).
• 📂 Audio files in format.mp3 or.m4a (maximum size - 5 MB).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the Redmi Note 7 to the PC via USB-cable.
2. On the phone in the notification panel, select File Transfer (MTP) mode.
3. On your computer, open the conductor and go to the folder of the internal storage of the smartphone.
4. Create (if not) a Ringtones folder in the root directory.
5. Copy the audio files into this folder.
6. Turn off the phone and restart it.

Tip: If the Ringtones folder doesn't appear after you connect, check if the system folders are hidden in the Explorer settings (on Windows: View → Hidden Items). On macOS, use Cmd + Shift +. to display hidden files.

Method 5: Bypassing the ringtone duration limit (30 seconds)

One of the most annoying features of the Redmi Note 7 is that it automatically cuts custom ringtones for up to 30 seconds, even if the original file is longer.This is a MIUI limitation, and it's not dokumented in the official instructions.

Method 1: Editing a file on a PC

• 🎧 Use an audio editor (such as Audacity) to crop the track for up to 25–28 seconds.
• 📤 Save a 128 kbps bitrate file – this will reduce the size and increase the chances of correct playback.
• 📁 Place the edited file in the Ringtones folder.

Method 2: Use of ADB (for advanced users)

If you are ready to work with the command line, you can disable the restriction via ADB:

adb shell settings put global ringtone_max_duration -1

This command will reset the duration limit, but requires an unlocked bootloader and root rights, which will void the warranty. FAQ.

💡

If the ringtone is cut off when you call, but the player plays completely, try renaming the file, adding a prefix to the beginning of the name "ring_". For example: "ring_my_tune.mp3". This sometimes helps to fool the system scanner. MIUI.

Problem Solving: The ringtone doesn't change or resets

Sometimes, after changing the tune, the Redmi Note 7 continues to use the old ringtone or resets the settings.

If none of the methods helped, reset the sound settings:

1. Go to Settings → System and device → Resetting.
2. Select Resetting Sound Settings (not to be confused with a full reset!).
3. Confirm the action and restart the phone.

💡

Before resetting the sound settings, record the current volumes of the alarm clock, notifications and media – they will reset to the default values.

FAQ: Frequent questions about ringtones on Redmi Note 7