MPG to M4R Converter

Turn an MPG Clip into an M4R Ringtone

MPG is the everyday spelling of an MPEG program stream, and a lot of older video ended up in it: exports from Windows-era editing software, recordings from TV tuner cards and DVD recorders, and clips from digital cameras that predate H.264. If one of those files holds a sound you would like to hear every time your phone rings, this page extracts it. The video is discarded, the soundtrack (usually MP2, sometimes Dolby Digital) is decoded and encoded as AAC, and the result is saved as .m4r, the iPhone ringtone format.

M4R is AAC-LC audio in an MPEG-4 container. It is identical in structure to M4A; the .m4r extension is the label iOS, Finder and iTunes look for when deciding that a file is a tone. Apple's ringtone article gives the other rule you need: ringtones can be up to 30 seconds long.

How to Convert MPG to M4R

1. Add the MPG File: Drop the .mpg (or .mpeg) file onto the page or click "Add Files". You can queue several clips; each one gets the same settings.
2. Trim to 30 Seconds or Less: Set Trim to Trim, enter a Start time in seconds or HH:MM:SS.sss, and a Duration no longer than 30 seconds, the length Apple gives for iPhone ringtones.
3. Set Size and Sound: File Compression decides the size. Pick Constant Bitrate for an exact rate from 8 to 384 kbps, or use Variable Bitrate, Quality Preset, Custom Bitrate or a target file size. Audio Channel switches between Original, Mono and Stereo.
4. Download and Install: Click Convert, save the .m4r, copy it to the iPhone, and select it in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone.

MPG, M4A and M4R Compared

The M4A and M4R columns are the same file format. We write both with the same MPEG-4 muxer, and a file inspector reports AAC LC with the major brand M4A in each. Choose M4A for a full-length music file and M4R for a tone.

How Big Will the Ringtone Be?

With Constant Bitrate the size is easy to predict: kilobits per second x seconds / 8 = kilobytes.

Every row is small enough that size is not a real constraint, so choose by source: there is little point in setting 256 kbps on a Video CD soundtrack that was 224 kbps MP2 to begin with. Variable Bitrate, with five AAC bands labelled from 20k-32k up to 96k-112k, lets the encoder spend bits where the sound needs them; the labels are nominal, so the finished rate depends on the material.

Finding the Exact Start Time

The Trim fields accept either plain seconds (754.5) or HH:MM:SS.sss (00:12:34.500). Play the MPG in VLC, pause just before the moment and read the elapsed time. Start a quarter of a second early so a word or drum hit is not cut in half, and end on a natural pause, because the phone will repeat the clip from the top. If the first attempt lands slightly off, adjust the Start time and convert again. To fine-tune a finished tone without the video, Trim M4R lets you pick the start and end on a waveform.

Getting It onto the iPhone

Connect the iPhone to a Mac, select it in the Finder sidebar (macOS Catalina or later) and drag the .m4r onto it; on Windows, add it with iTunes. Without a computer, save the file to Files, import it into GarageBand on the iPhone and use Share > Ringtone, the route Apple documents. Then pick the tone under Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone, or give it to one person through Contacts > the contact > Edit > Ringtone. Android phones use MP3 for ringtones instead; MPG to MP3 does that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is MPG the same as MPEG?

Yes. .mpg and .mpeg are two spellings of the same MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 program stream; the three-letter form dates from file systems that allowed only three-character extensions. This page accepts both spellings.

Can a ringtone be longer than 30 seconds?

Apple documents 30 seconds as the limit: its support article says ringtones can be up to 30 seconds long, and the GarageBand for iPhone guide says the maximum length for exported ringtones is 30 seconds. Keep Duration at 30 or under and the tone will behave the way Apple describes.

Why doesn't my new ringtone show up on the iPhone?

The usual causes are a file that no longer ends in .m4r, a file added to the Music library instead of dragged onto the iPhone itself in Finder or iTunes, or a clip longer than Apple's 30 seconds. Re-export with a Duration of 30 or less, keep the .m4r name, and drag it onto the device.

Should the ringtone be Mono or Stereo?

For speech, laughter or a single instrument, Mono halves the data the encoder has to spend and loses nothing you will notice. For music with real stereo width, keep Stereo. If the MPG carries 5.1 Dolby Digital from a DVD, choose Stereo so the tone is a plain two-channel mix.

Does converting change the audio quality?

Slightly, in theory. MPG soundtracks are already lossy MP2 or AC-3, so encoding them as AAC is a second lossy pass. At or near the source bitrate that pass is inaudible on a 30-second clip, and no setting can restore detail the original encode removed.

Does the ringtone keep any of the video?

No. An M4R holds a single AAC track, so the MPEG video stream is discarded, along with any subtitles. That is why a several-hundred-megabyte MPG turns into a ringtone well under a megabyte.

What happens to my upload?

Your MPG is sent over an encrypted (TLS) connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically after a few hours along with the .m4r. There is no sign-up and no watermark, and the converter is free.