How to: Use Songs as Ringtone in Nokia Lumia Windows Phone

“How can i use a MP3 song as ringtone on my Nokia Lumia?” This is a question which has been asked to me many times, so this post is my answer to all of those questions.

Windows Phone (both 8 and 7) does not inherit the functionality to set custom tones as ringtones, but Nokia did provide an alternative way (through an app) to set custom tones, such as MP3 songs as the phone’s ringtone. So here’s how to do it.

1. Download Ringtone Maker

Ringtone Maker is an app created by Nokia which can set any music file from your phone as long as it is DRM-free i.e. you have the rights to use that song. Download the app from the Windows Phone Store here or scan the QR code below.

For WP7 devices, ringtone maker can only make ringtones out of MP3 files.
For WP8 devices, ringtone maker supports MP3, WMA, M4A, M4R, and AAC

2. Select your favorite song

After installing the app, open it and tap on pick a song to get started. Then browse through the music library that shows up and select your favorite song that you want to use as your phone’s ringtone.

3. Choose Start and End points

Now you need to define the start and end points of the chosen MP3 track. You can select the duration of the ringtone and from what second of the song should ringtone start playing. Usually its good to skip the initial music and skip directly to where the voice begins.

4. Save and Set as Ringtone

That’s all that you need to do. Just save the ringtone with the name that you want. It will then be available in settings> ringtones + sounds> ringtone under the custom category at the top of the list. The same ringtone can also be used as the text messages, email or calendar.