Moto E Guide

How to customize Moto E ringtones?

In this guide, I will show you three methods of customizing Moto E ringtones: 1). select from the pre-installed ringtones; 2). use music files in your Moto E; and 3). use music files in your PC.

So, you can use ringtones that you like and  you can customize Moto E ringtones as you want.

Contents hide
1) Customize Moto E ringtones method 1: Select from pre-installed Moto E ringtones
2) Customize Moto E ringtones method 2: Use your own music file on your Moto E as Moto E ringtones
3) Customize Moto E ringtones method 3: Use your own music file on your PC as Moto E ringtones

Customize Moto E ringtones method 1: Select from pre-installed Moto E ringtones

There are about 40 pre-installed ringtones in your Moto E. You can easily select any one of them that you prefer.

To set your ringtones, go to Settings-Sound. Tap phone ringtone as shown below.

customize_moto_e_ringtone_csettings_soundcustomize_moto_e_ringtone_phone_ringtone

If you followed this guide (and you should) and installed ES File Explorer, you may have two options as shown below.  In this case, tap Media Storage, then tap “Just Once“.

You then can select any of the pre-installed Moto E ringtones (about 40) . Scroll up and down to select the desired one, then tap OK to change the ringtone for your Moto E.

After you tapping OK, the new ringtone applies immediately. Now, you get a somewhat different ringtone!

If you are not happy with the pre0-installed ringtones, or you want to use your own sound file, please  read on.

customize_moto_e_ringtone_es_file_explorercustomize_moto_e_ringtone_select_pre-installed_ringtones

Customize Moto E ringtones method 2: Use your own music file on your Moto E as Moto E ringtones

If you want to use the music/sound files that are already saved (e.g., downloaded or recorded) in your Moto E, you can easily use them as your Moto E ringtones.

But before you can proceed to use these files as your ringtones, you need install a free app called ES File Explorer File Manger. If you haven’t install it yet, please follow our guide to install this app to your Moto E from Play Store.

Once the app is installed, when you tap the Settings–Sound–Phone ringtone, you can tap ES File Explorer–Just Once as shown below.

Then navigate to the sound/music  file (e.g., mp3, m4a..) Tap the music file and the the file will be used as your new Moto E ringtone. The interface will close automatically and you will return to Settings-Sound page.

customize_moto_e_ringtone_mp3_on_moto_ecustomize_moto_e_ringtone_select_music_file

Customize Moto E ringtones method 3: Use your own music file on your PC as Moto E ringtones

You can also use the music file in your PC to customize Moto E ringtone. To use this method, you need a USB cable to connect your Moto E to the PC.

Once you connect your Moto E to the PC using an USB cable, the phone should be recognized automatically and is identified as XT102X as shown below.

customize_moto_e_ringtone_connect_moto_e_to_pc

Click the Ringtones folder, you should find the 3 pre-installed music files (ogg format) as shown below.

customize_moto_e_ringtone_ringtones_folder

Now, you can copy any music files to this Ringtones folder.

You may get a warning messaging as shown below when you copy some formats of the  music file, e.g., mp3 file. Most of the time, it is safe to ignore this message. So, you check “Do this for all files”, then click Yes to copy.

Once the files are copied to Ringtones folder, they should automatically appear in the ringtone list!

customize_moto_e_ringtone_copy_music_files_from_pc

 

Now, in your Moto E, go to Settings–Sound–Phone ringtone, you can select the copied file as your new Moto E ringtone as method 1!

If you have ES File Explorer installed, you need tap Media Storage–Just one. Then select the music. Tap OK to change your Moto E ringtone immediately.

customize_moto_e_ringtone_choose_copied_music_filecustomize_moto_e_ringtone_music_file_used_as_ringtone

Do you have any questions on customizing Moto E ringtone?

If you have problems or questions on how to customize Moto E ringtone, please leave your questions in the comment box below.

More how-to guides , tips and tricks for using Moto E are available at Moto E how-to guides page.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. rajiv kanapathy says

    i had set my ringtone to my moto e mobie… but whenever i get a incoming calls , it will rings gradually (i mean – in ascending).. please let me know that how to set ringtone in moto e mobile normally.. i just want my phone to ring nomally without ascending during incoming calls.. i’m waiting for your reply…

    Reply

  4. GAGAN says

    By mistake i click on the always moto ringtone.So pls. tell me now how i use the ring tone from ES FILE EXPLORER.

    Reply

  5. shreelakshmi says

    Hi There ,

    Hi There , I have a question about ringtone type. which ever ringtone i select it is cuming in ascending
    i mean to say when i get a call, ringtone volume will be minimal and then gradually it becomes louder. can some one help me how change the ringtone type
    thanks

    Reply

  7. andrew... says

    I have lost all the preloaded ring tones of my moto e plz help me with that how to got it back…….

    Reply

  17. bala says

    Hi as per your guidance I have clear all default settings in es explore file , but still I didn’t get preloading ringtone

    Reply

  21. mahesh says

    Hi I want to set ring tone from SD card..I have also read all ur comments which most of ppl getting issue abt (how to set ringtone fem SD card) we’ll I have tryed to do some changes as u have suggested how to set ringtone from SD card..BT sir im nt getting excately the word (as file expoler) like excatelly we’re it is located in App. Plz help me out for did..thank u

    Reply

  22. jhalak says

    I had mistakely choose the option of always when I had to choose ringtone from es explore or storage.so it is now not showing from es explore.only showing phone ringtone.so now what I had to do.so that it once again show both option

    Reply

  27. Subhamoy Samanta says

    In my moto e …,,after connecting the phone with my laptop by data cable there was NO”” Ringtone folder”” came in internal storage of the phone……..please assist me what to do…….how to copy song from laptop to set as ringtone.

    second ,,,,,,,,,,after copy pdf file in my sd card ,,,,,,,,i can’t find the pdf file in my phone to read it…………….please help me

    Reply

  29. Jappi says

    HI,

    when my music is playing and if ph is in vibrate mode , and some one call me then at that time , idelly it should behave like music get stop and ph get vibrate but this is not happening in moto e mobile .Music playing continuos whether the call is coming or not..

    can u plz guide me how to fix it ?

    Reply

  30. Shreya says

    Whenever I get a call, the phone just vibrates for 5-6 seconds and then the ringtone starts. I want the phone to ring and vibrate at the same time. How do I do that?

    Reply

  33. rd says

    My moto e suddenly became mute. It seems the speaker is not working. The volume is full. And I can hear sound only through head phones. Volume works when connected to head phones but othewise there’s no sound. When I make a call and put it on speaker; no sound. This started happening yesterday. Any help. The vibration is working though. Could the speaker be damaged? How do I check it? Thanks

    Reply

  34. srajan says

    I have ES file explorer installed..but that chosing option dont comes..i transfer ringtone from pc but it doesnt show up in ringtone list..only one time that explorer option came…and after that default ringtones only are shown

    Reply

  40. ADS says

    I have speaker problem in my Moto G 2nd gen. I hear a kirrr… Kirrr… sound when someone is talking in phone in the other side. Is there any app to solve this problem?

    Reply

  42. jayne brown says

    I followed the instructions exactly and it works perfect, now got my fave song again as a ringtone. Thanks for this post, it’s brilliant. 🙂

    Reply

  43. malkeet singh says

    i have moto e, sometimes it beep and display a notification “playing tone” for very short period may be for 1second, what does that “playing tone” mean?

    Reply

  47. Shahbaz Alam says

    While setting the ringtone when I tap the Settings–Sound–Phone ringtone, instead of tapping ES File Explorer–Just Once as shown above, I tapped on the media storage and tapped Always. Now the option for ES File Explorer is not coming. Can you please tell me how to solve it.

    Reply

  48. bala says

    In my mobile (moto e) always intimate text msg mmry is full but I don’t have any msgs in mobile, how to clear this problem

    Reply

  49. Sarah says

    I had accidently clicked “always” option instead of “just once ” and had choosen a es file explorer.Now i am unable to access phone ringtones i,e already saved moto e ringtones.How can i change that path again?please help me

    Reply

  51. joshua gordon says

    HI You have some really great instructions here. The one basic step that as driven me crazy and is not included- At least for Mac users, after you transfer files to the phone through the file transfer app and usb cable, and locate them using the file manager you suggested to download, – the phone cannot access them until you turn it off and then turn it on. This basic step took me three days of looking through chats and help pages to discover. Maybe you could say something about this in your instructions. Thanks

    Reply

  53. Neetisha says

    Hi,

    I have an issue setting ringtone from my SD card. When I had set an ringtone once initially I had choosed the option of ALWAYS from phone ringtones while setting the ringtone.. kindly guide me.

    Reply

  55. Hari Krishna says

    Sir, I have two requirements on moto-e.1. How to set different profiles like meeting,driving etc. 2. How to send sms to group of contacts(group)

    Reply

  56. Aishwarya Tiwari says

    I mistakingly pressed the always button instead of just once while changing the ringtone, now am stuck with the default ringtones. I have also installed the ES File explorer app but still I don’t know how to change the ringtone of my choice? Please make me find my way, am kinda lost. It would be really helpful, also I copied a TV series in my moto e through a SD card, but it’s not showing. Please Help.

    Reply

  57. sumalatha says

    When I am trying to play the song in music player that shows an error, coudnot play the song you requested.can any body help me to solve that problem.

    Reply

  58. siva says

    hi i have set one ringtone for my wife, but whenever she msg me in whatsapp its picking the same ringtone and ringing. i don’t want the ring tone for the msg tone. how to disable this?

    Reply

  60. Chaitanya says

    I am trying to change the ringtone of my moto E. Earlier, I was getting the pop up for “Complete action using”. Now I do not get it. I have ES3 File explorer installed. The system takes me to the files on the memory card by default without asking me to “Complete action using(media storage)”. Please help.

    Reply

  61. Luiz Gama says

    If the ringtone you want is not increasing volume when ringing, open it on your pc, use Audacity to edit the sound file. Choose Edit Metadata and check if there is an entry for ANDROID_LOOP with a value of true. If not, add it and export the sound, and save it back to the sd card. Use ES File Explorer to select it in the sound options.

    Reply

  62. shakti says

    I ve es file exp installed but still its not showing any option to choose bet es file and media storage…..what should do i do now..?

    Reply

  65. Debalina says

    I am not getting the media storage option . I have tried rebooting my phone..searched every possible place but the default ringtones are missing. I want them back. Please help .

    Reply

  70. Paul says

    Can not get a ringtone to “stick.” When I test an incoming call, I get a weird “outer space” type of sound, no matter which ringtone I’ve chosen.

    Reply

  71. biresh joardar says

    i by mistake clicked “clear data” on settings>apps>all>media storage instead of “clear defaults”…. now i dont find any of previous ringtones… what to do???

    Reply

  72. janipasha says

    I am using moto from 7months, I had a problem I can’t set my favourite ringtone after I installed es file explorer.

    Reply

  74. tony says

    I accidentally hit always on the always button and I tried going into my settings and I cleared defaults but it still goes into my ringtones on my phone not my es file manager

    Reply

  75. pradip says

    I updated my software Frm KitKat to lollypop….but I am getting problem regarding ringtones….no matter what ringtone i select….at the end no ringtone while incoming calls…….and even the rotate screen option isn’t here……my device is moto e….any suggestion?

    Reply

  76. Fran says

    I plugged my moto e to my pc, but instead of recognizing it as XT1021, it recognizes it as XT830C & I can’t use my files as ringtone. Can you help?

    Reply

  78. karthik says

    i am using moto e lolipop. ringtone is not playing when calls came. showing error simply blink sound will come eventhough i set the ringtone,
    not even default ringtone not playing

    Reply

  79. Paul H. says

    Simon,
    I put 2 “homemade” ringtones on my Moto E via usb/computer into ringtone folder, no problems. I set one to home phone and one to “general incoming calls”, don’t have “Es file explorer on phone, when I use “home phone” that ringtone rings fine, when I use another phone to activate the general incoming call ringtone, it goes to voice after 4 rings (its set time), but when I put it on any of the tones that came with the phone or switch to the “home phone tone” it rings through just fine.
    It acts like it can’t handle two “homemade” ringtones “online” at the same time. It will handle 1 ‘homegrown’ tone at a time and a ‘came with the phone one, but not two ‘homegrown’ ones (one for general and one for a contact).

    Thank you for any help you can provide, sorry for the long post.

    Paul H.

    Reply

  82. Pac says

    You said that install es explorer app, I installed that app it shows my pitchers and videos in my phone device but not shows in gallery app

    Reply

  89. Jenny Rarden says

    I want to set different ringtones for different contacts. I’ve looked at the questions & answers on here, but the instruction to click on the contact, then on the menu (three dots) doesn’t work. The only options I see when I click on the three dots are Share and Place on Home screen. Please help! Is that option gone in the 2nd gen?

    Reply

  91. ermuralidharan@gmail.com says

    while setting ringtone, i had selected “always” option by mistake. after that, if i’m going to select ringtone, it shows only default ringtones (inbuilt) only. how to reset this. please suggest.

    Reply

  98. Pac says

    That is the problem which you had said. The WiFi password is always remembering me how to avoid that problem?

    Reply

  99. Swapnil says

    When someone called me, the sound of ringtone increased gradually, I cant hearing the ringtone from the start.
    Whats the solution?

    Reply

  104. Hari says

    Hi, I set the phone ringtone using ES file manager and also set the default ring tone using the same. But instead of clicking just once option, by mistake i have clicked always use ES file manager option. I couldnt able to keep motorola inbuilt ringtones. How to change it. Please help.

    Reply

  106. Sivaraman P says

    In case instead of using just once i click on always while selecting the source of ringtone how do i restore it back.

    Reply

  110. Bob says

    I have Moto E 2nd Generation 4G LTE. Followed all instructions. When I tap on the desired mp3 file for my ringtone, I get the message “Wrong file type, please select again”. The phone will play the mp3, but will not accept it as a ringtone. Any ideas?

    Reply

  111. Shelly Roberts says

    If my moto e goes off, when I turn it back on, it has defaulted to wi-fi OFF and volumes are set to the lowest. I unfortunately miss a lot of calls because of this. Is there a special setting app or prayer that will let me change the default and power up values? Thanks.

    Reply

  113. Peter Henderson says

    On my old Moto E, I had a custom ringtone I created myself that is a midi file. It worked fine, but now on my new E4 I try to install the same file and it won’t play it. Says “invalid file type”.

    Any idea how to fix this? Why would they remove support for midi files?

    Reply

  115. John M says

    Somehow I have lost all pre-loaded ringtones on my Moto E LTE. When I do Settings > Apps > Sound & Notification – under Phone Ringtone, it says “None”. When I tap Phone Ringtone, I get a dialog box titled Phone Ringtone and the only thing listed says “None” next to a circle that has been check-marked. Hitting the circle again does not un-check it. The only options at the bottom of the dialog box are Cancel and OK, neither of which changes anything. I read the discussions above, but I have no App called “ES File Explorer”. So now what?

    Reply

  116. Susan says

    I downloaded some ringtones from the internet which are located in my Audio file. How do I prevent other tunes from automatically downloading to my phone?

    Reply

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