# Upload a Custom Prompt

Custom prompts let you use your own recorded audio, greetings, announcements, or hold messages throughout the phone system. This page walks you through uploading an audio file so it becomes available as a custom prompt.

## Before you begin

Have an audio file ready that satisfies both of the following:

- **Format**: `.wav`, `.mp3`, or `.gsm`, encoded as one of:
  - PCM, 8 kHz, 16-bit, 128 kbps
  - A-law (G.711), 8 kHz, 8-bit, 64 kbps
  - u-law (G.711), 8 kHz, 8-bit, 64 kbps
- **Size**: 8 MB or less.

These are standard telephone-grade audio settings. PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) and G.711 are the codecs used for voice calls, 8 kHz is the sampling rate, and kbps (kilobits per second) is the bit rate. When you export audio from a recording tool, match one of the rows above so the file plays back correctly.

:::tip
If your file does not match one of the supported encodings, you can [convert it first](/pbx/administrator-guide/convert-audio-files/) using an online G.711 file converter or WavePad.
:::

## How many custom prompts you can store

The number of custom prompts your system allows depends on how many extensions it supports:

| Maximum extensions (N) | Maximum custom prompts |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------- |
| N ≤ 50                 | 64                     |
| 50 < N ≤ 200           | 128                    |
| N > 200                | 128                    |

:::note
This is the total number of custom prompts the whole system can hold, not a per-user limit. Systems sized for more than 50 extensions all cap at 128 custom prompts.
:::

## Upload the file

1. Sign in to the web portal and go to **PBX Settings > Voice Prompt > Custom Prompt**.
2. Click **Upload**.
3. In the file browser, choose the audio file from your computer and click **Open**.

:::note
PBX (Private Branch Exchange) is the phone system itself. The **Voice Prompt** area lives under **PBX Settings** in the left-hand menu of the web portal.
:::

:::caution
The file must already meet the format and size requirements listed above before you upload it. Prepare or convert the file first: an unsupported format or a file larger than 8 MB will not be accepted.
:::

Once the upload finishes, the file appears in the list on the **Custom Prompt** page and is ready to use.