Why birthdays appear on your calendar and how to remove them
Google Calendar automatically imports birthdays from your Google Contacts and displays them on your calendar. This happens without you taking any action — the moment you save someone's birthday in Contacts, it shows up in Calendar. If you want to stop seeing these birthday reminders, you have three options: delete individual birthdays one at a time, turn off the entire Birthdays calendar so none appear, or remove birthdays from Contacts themselves. Which route you take depends on whether you want to keep some birthdays visible or remove them all at once.
The birthdays appear in a calendar called "Birthdays" that Google creates automatically. You cannot edit or delete this calendar itself, but you can hide it, and you can remove individual birthdays from it. Removing a birthday from the Birthdays calendar does not delete it from your Contacts — it only hides it from Calendar view.
Key Takeaways
- Individual birthdays can be deleted from the Birthdays calendar by clicking the birthday event and selecting the delete option, which removes it from Calendar but not from Contacts.
- You can hide the entire Birthdays calendar at once by unchecking it in the calendar list on the left side of Google Calendar.
- To permanently remove a birthday so it never reappears in Calendar, delete it from Google Contacts instead of from Calendar.
- Deleting a birthday from Contacts removes it from both Calendar and your contact list, so only do this if you no longer need the birthday information at all.
Delete a single birthday from Google Calendar
Open Google Calendar in your web browser and find the birthday you want to remove. Birthdays appear on the date itself, usually in a smaller text size than regular events. Click on the birthday event — the person's name and "Birthday" will appear in a small popup or sidebar.
Look for a trash icon or delete button in the popup. In most cases, you will see a trash can icon. Click it. Google will ask you to confirm the deletion. Select "Delete" or "Delete event" when prompted. The birthday will disappear from your calendar when ready, but the person's birthday information remains in your Google Contacts.
If you cannot find a delete button in the popup, try right-clicking on the birthday event instead. A menu will appear with options including "Delete event." Select that option and confirm.
Hide all birthdays at once by turning off the Birthdays calendar
On the left side of Google Calendar, you will see a list of your calendars. Look for one labeled "Birthdays" — it usually appears near the bottom of the list. Next to the Birthdays calendar name, there is a checkbox. If the checkbox is checked (filled in), birthdays are showing on your calendar. Click the checkbox to uncheck it.
All birthdays will disappear from your calendar view when ready. The Birthdays calendar itself remains in your calendar list, so you can turn it back on anytime by checking the box again. This method does not delete any birthdays — it only hides them from view.
If you do not see a Birthdays calendar in your list, it may already be hidden, or Google has not created one yet because you have no birthdays saved in your Contacts.
Remove a birthday permanently by deleting it from Contacts
If you want to delete a birthday so it never reappears in Calendar, you must delete it from Google Contacts. Open Google Contacts in a new tab or window. Search for the person whose birthday you want to remove, or scroll through your contact list to find them.
Click on the contact to open their full profile. Look for the birthday field — it will show the date you entered. Click on the birthday field or look for an edit option. You should see an option to delete or clear the birthday. Click it, then save the contact. The birthday will be removed from both Contacts and Calendar.
Be aware that deleting a birthday from Contacts removes it permanently. If you later want to add that birthday back, you will have to enter it again manually.
What happens when you delete a birthday
When you delete a birthday from the Birthdays calendar in Google Calendar, the event disappears from your calendar view, but the birthday information stays in your Google Contacts. If you later turn the Birthdays calendar back on, that birthday will reappear because it is still stored in Contacts.
When you delete a birthday from Google Contacts, it is removed from both Contacts and Calendar. It will not reappear even if you turn the Birthdays calendar back on, because the source information is gone.
Prevent birthdays from being added in the future
Google Calendar will continue to import birthdays from Contacts automatically. There is no setting to stop this import — the only way to prevent birthdays from appearing is to not save birthday information in Contacts, or to hide the Birthdays calendar.
If you want to keep some birthdays but not others, the simplest approach is to delete the ones you do not want from the Birthdays calendar (which leaves them in Contacts), or to delete them from Contacts entirely (which removes them everywhere). You cannot set rules to import only certain birthdays.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I delete a birthday from Calendar, does it delete it from my Contacts?
No. Deleting a birthday from the Birthdays calendar in Google Calendar only removes it from your calendar view. The birthday remains in Google Contacts. If you turn the Birthdays calendar back on, the birthday will reappear.
Can I edit a birthday instead of deleting it?
You cannot edit birthdays directly from the Birthdays calendar in Google Calendar. You must edit them in Google Contacts. Open Contacts, find the person, click their birthday field, and change the date. The change will update in Calendar automatically.
Why do birthdays keep coming back after I delete them?
Birthdays reappear because they are still stored in Google Contacts. Deleting a birthday from Calendar does not delete it from Contacts. To stop a birthday from reappearing, delete it from Google Contacts instead.
Can I turn off birthday notifications without hiding all birthdays?
Google Calendar does not offer a way to hide notifications while keeping birthdays visible. You can turn off notifications for individual events by clicking the birthday and changing notification settings, but this is not the same as deleting the birthday.
What if I cannot find the Birthdays calendar in my list?
The Birthdays calendar only appears if you have at least one birthday saved in Google Contacts. If you do not see it, you either have no birthdays in Contacts, or the calendar is hidden. Check Google Contacts to confirm you have saved at least one birthday.