How to Put Your Music on a Rington on Xiaomi: All Ways to MIUI

Tired of the standard ringtone on your Xiaomi and want to install your favorite song? This task seems simple, but owners of Redmi, POCO or Mi smartphones often face the limitations of MIUI: the system does not allow you to choose an arbitrary audio file as a ringtone without additional manipulation. In this article, we will analyze all the current methods, from standard settings to bypassing locks through the file system and third-party applications.

It's important to understand that the process depends on the version of MIUI (12, 13 or 14) and the device model. For example, on the Xiaomi 13 Pro with the latest firmware, the algorithm differs from the Redmi Note 10 of 2021. We took these nuances into account and prepared universal solutions that work on 90% of the brand's devices, you will also learn what audio formats are supported, how to crop the track and why some files are not displayed in the list of tunes.

If you've tried to change the ringtone before through Settings → Sounds and Vibrations, but your music didn't appear on the list, don't give up. The reason may be because of the wrong file location, MIUI limitations, or even broken track metadata, and we'll show you how to fix each of these problems.

Why Xiaomi doesn’t let you play any music on the ringtone?

The MIUI system deliberately restricts the choice of custom ringtones for several reasons:

• 🔒 Security: Discriminatory audio files may contain malicious code (e.g., through metadata). MIUI Scan only files from trusted folders — /MIUI/ringtone/ or /Ringtones/.
• ⚖️ Xiaomi avoids copyright issues by blocking commercial music as signals.
• 📱 Performance optimization: Reading audio from arbitrary folders can slow down the system, especially on budget models (Redmi) 9A, POCO M3).
• 🎵 Support for formats: MIUI correctly reproduces only files with bitrates up to 320 kbit / s and duration up to 30 seconds (for notifications - up to 5 seconds).

Interestingly, some firmware (e.g. MIUI Global) have stricter restrictions than MIUI China or EU, which is due to local regulatory requirements, and if your smartphone is officially sold in Russia, you probably have a global version of the software with maximum locks.

⚠️ Note: On devices with a locked bootloader (most of Xiaomi for the Russian market), changing system files can lead to loss of warranty. /system/media/audio/ringtones/ Requires bootloader unlock and is potentially dangerous.

Method 1: Standard Addition via Settings (for MIUI 14 and later)

Since MIUI 14, Xiaomi has made it easier to add custom ringtones, but with reservations.This method works on most modern models (Xiaomi 12/13/14, Redmi Note 11/12, POCO F4/F5), but may not be available on older devices or custom firmware.

Here's the step-by-step instruction:

1. Place the audio file in one of the supported folders: 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Ringtones/ — ring-melodies; 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Notifications/ — notice-in; 📁 /storage/emulated/0/Alarms/ — alarm-box.

You can create folders manually through any file manager (e.g., Mi File Explorer or Total Commander).

Check the format (MP3, M4A, OGG, WAV)

Make sure the bitrate is ≤ 320 kbit/s

Cut the track to 30 seconds (for a call)

Remove special characters from the file name

-->

Settings → Sounds and vibrations → Melody of the call

"Locals"

Select your audio file from the list. If it's not available, check the path correctly and restart the phone again.

If the file never appears after rebooting, try the following:

• 🔄 Rename the file to Latin (for example, my_ringtone.mp3 instead of my tune.mp3).
• 📌 Move the file to the root folder /storage/emulated/0/ and then only in /Ringtones/.
• 🔊 Check that the file is not corrupted (open it in any player).

⚠️ Note: On some firmware (for example, MIUI 13.0.4 for Redmi Note 10 Pro) the Local tab may not be available.

Method 2: Use the Ringtone Maker app (for all versions of MIUI)

If the standard method didn’t work, the best option is to use a third-party app.Ringtone Maker from Big Bang Inc (available on Google Play) allows you not only to set custom ringtones, but also to crop tracks, normalize volume and convert formats.

Advantages of this method:

• 🎛️ It works on all versions. MIUI, including (MIUI 10–12).
• 🔧 Supports all formats (MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV).
• ✂️ Built-in editor for cutting tracks to the desired length.
• 📲 Automatically saves ringtones to the correct folder.

Instructions for use:

1. Install Ringtone Maker from Google Play.
2. Open the application and give access to the files.
3. Select a track from the library or import it through Add File.
4. Cut the fragment (optional) and click "Save".
5. In the menu that appears, select “Install as a ringtone” → “Call melody”.

The app automatically copies the file to /Ringtones/ and applies it to the system. If the melody is not played when you call, check:

• 🔈 Volume in Settings → Sounds and vibrations;
• 📵 Do Not Disturb (can block user sounds);
• 🔄 Reboot the device (sometimes required to apply changes).

💡

If Ringtone Maker doesn’t see your files, try moving them to /Music/ and updating the app library through the Settings → Update Media menu.

Method 3: Manually copy to the system folder (for advanced users)

This is a method that works for devices with unlocked bootloaders or root rights, and allows you to add a ringtone directly to the system folder, where MIUI is guaranteed to "see" it, which on devices with locked bootloaders, this method will not work without first unlocking.

You'll need:

• 📱 Xiaomi smartphone with unlocked bootloader;
• 💻 Computer installed ADB and Fastboot;
• 🔌 USB-plug-in;
• 🎵 Audio file format MP3 or OGG (maximum 30 seconds).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect your phone to your PC and enable USB Debugging in Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (shoot 7 times) → Additional → For developers.
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and execute: adb shell su mount -o rw, remount /system
3. Copy your file to the system folder: adb push /path/to/your/ringtone.mp3 /system/media/audio/ringtones/ Replace /path/to/your/ringtone.mp3 with the real path to the file on your PC.
4. Set the correct access rights: adb shell chmod 644 /system/media/audio/ringtones/ringtone.mp3 adb shell chown root:root /system/media/audio/ringtones/ringtone.mp3
5. Reboot the device: adb reboot

Once rebooted, your ringtone will appear on the standard tone list, a method that is guaranteed to work on all versions of MIUI, but requires technical skills.

⚠️ Warning: Incorrectly changing system files can lead to bootloop (loop boot).Before executing commands, back up your data via adb backup or Mi Cloud.

Method 4: Using a root-access file manager

If you have root rights (like Magisk), you can bypass the limitations of MIUI without connecting to a PC, and any root-enabled file manager, like Solid Explorer or FX File Explorer, will do.

Algorithm of action:

1. Open the file manager and provide root access.
2. Go to /system/media/audio/ringtones/.
3. Copy your audio file into this directory.
4. Change the permissions to access the file: Owner: root; Group: root; Rights: rw-r----644.

Reset the device.

After that, your ringtone will be available in the standard tune selection menu, which is suitable for users who have already rooted and do not want to use ADB.

How to Cut Rington Music on Xiaomi

The standard ringtones in MIUI are no longer than 30 seconds, and for notifications, 5 seconds. If your track is longer, it needs to be cut.

• 🎵 Through Ringtone Maker: Open the track in the app. Drag the sliders on the timeline to select a snippet» → «Save».

On a computer.

• Use Audacity (free) or Adobe Audition.
• Export a fragment in MP3 format with a bitrate of 192-320 kbit / s.

Through online services

• Upload the file to mp3cut.net.
• Select the desired segment and download the result.

The optimal length for a ringtone is 15 to 25 seconds, enough to hear the melody and answer the call, and 3-4 seconds are enough for notifications.

Through the app on the phone.

On a computer (Audacity, etc.)

Online Services (mp3cut.net)

I'm not cutting, I'm using the full track.

Another option

-->

Frequent problems and their solutions

Even after completing all the instructions, Xiaomi users may encounter difficulties.

Problem 1: The file does not appear in the list of ringtones

Possible causes and solutions:

• 📁 Incorrect folder: Make sure the file is in the /Ringtones/, not /Download/ or /Music/.
• 🔤 Inappropriate file name: Rename the file to Latin without spaces (e.g, ringtone1.mp3).
• 🎵 Unsupported format: Convert the file to MP3 or M4A via Online-Convert.
• 🔄 Media Files Cash: Clear the Media Store app cache in Settings → Annexes → Application management.

Problem 2: Rington is losing, but very quietly

This is a common problem on Xiaomi due to volume limits for custom sounds.

• 🔊 Increase the volume in the settings → Sounds and vibrations → Media volume.
• 🎛️ Normalize the volume of the file through Audacity (the effect of "Normalization»).
• 📱 Use the Volume Booster app (requires root).

Problem 3: After the MIUI update, the ringtone reset

MIUI updates sometimes reset user settings to avoid this:

• 🔄 Save a copy of the file in the cloud (Mi Cloud or Google Drive).
• 📁 Put the ringtone in /MIUI/ringtone/ — This folder is less frequently affected by updates.
• 🔧 Use Titanium Backup (requires root) to back up system sounds.

💡

If all user ringtones are missing after the MIUI update, check the /MIUI/ringtone/backup/ folder – sometimes the system backs up automatically.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions