Where to find birthday notifications on Facebook
Facebook shows you upcoming birthdays in two places: a sidebar on your home feed (on desktop) and a dedicated section in the app (on mobile). On a computer, look to the right side of your feed — you will see a box labeled "Birthdays" with a list of friends whose birthdays are coming up in the next few days. On your phone or tablet, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) and scroll down to find "Birthdays," which opens a full list organized by date.
The sidebar and mobile section both show only the next seven days of birthdays by default. If you want to see birthdays further ahead, you can scroll down in either location to view more dates. Facebook pulls this information from the birthday field in each friend's profile — the date they entered when they set up their account or updated their profile information.
Key Takeaways
- Facebook displays upcoming birthdays in a sidebar on desktop and in a dedicated Birthdays section on mobile, showing the next week by default.
- You can only see birthdays for people who have entered a birthday on their profile and who you are connected with as friends.
- Birthday information comes from what people entered in their own profile settings, so if someone has not filled in their birthday, it will not appear.
- You can turn off birthday notifications in your settings if you do not want reminders, though the Birthdays section will still exist.
How to view someone's birthday on their profile
To see a specific person's birthday, visit their profile by searching for their name or clicking their name anywhere on Facebook. Scroll down to the "About" section, which contains personal details they have chosen to share. The birthday appears here if they have made it visible — some people hide their birth year or the entire date for privacy.
Not every profile shows a birthday. If the About section does not list one, the person either has not entered a birthday, has set it to private, or has hidden it from your view. You cannot change what someone else has shared — you can only see what they have decided to make visible.
Adjusting your own birthday visibility
If you want to control who sees your birthday, go to your profile and click "Edit profile." Find the "About" section and look for the birthday field. Click the privacy icon next to your birthday — it usually shows a globe, a group of people, or a lock. You can set it to "Public" (everyone sees it), "Friends" (only your friends see it), or "Only me" (nobody sees it except you).
You can also hide just your birth year while keeping the month and day visible, which lets people know when to send a birthday message without revealing your age. To do this, click the birthday field, select the year, and delete it — Facebook will save the month and day alone.
Turning off birthday notifications
Facebook sends notifications when friends' birthdays arrive. If you want to stop receiving these reminders, go to your settings by clicking the downward arrow in the top right corner (on desktop) or the menu icon (on mobile). Select "Settings and privacy," then "Settings." Scroll to "Notifications" and find "Birthday reminders." You can turn this toggle off to stop receiving alerts.
Turning off notifications does not delete the Birthdays section from your home feed or mobile menu — it only stops the pop-up reminders. If you want to avoid seeing the birthday list entirely, you would need to ignore that section when you scroll past it.
What information Facebook stores about birthdays
When you enter your birthday on Facebook, the platform stores it in your profile data. Facebook uses this information to send you birthday reminders, show your birthday to friends, and target ads based on age groups. The company keeps this data even if you delete your account — it remains in their servers for a period of time before being permanently removed.
Your birthday is one of the pieces of information Facebook can use to identify you across devices and websites. If you have concerns about how your birthday data is used, you can review Facebook's data policy in your settings under "Your information" or "read your information," which shows you exactly what the platform has collected about you.
Finding birthdays for people outside your friend list
You cannot see the birthday of someone who is not your friend unless they have made their entire profile public and set their birthday to visible to everyone. Even then, you would need to visit their profile directly — Facebook does not show non-friends' birthdays in your Birthdays section.
If you want to know someone's birthday and you are not connected, the simplest approach is to ask them directly. Some people also share birthdays on other platforms like Instagram or LinkedIn, where you might find the information if they have made it public there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is someone's birthday not showing up in my Birthdays section?
They may not have entered a birthday on their profile, or they may have set it to private. Some people also choose to hide their birthday from specific friends. You can check their profile directly to see if the birthday appears in their About section — if it does not show there, they have either not entered it or hidden it from everyone.
Can I see someone's birth year if they only show the month and day?
No. If someone has hidden their birth year, you will only see the month and day. You cannot view information someone has chosen to keep private, and there is no way to see hidden data through Facebook's interface.
What happens to my birthday if I delete my Facebook account?
Facebook keeps your data, including your birthday, for a short period after deletion in case you change your mind and reactivate. After that window closes, the data is removed from active servers, though Facebook may retain some information for legal or security reasons. You can request permanent deletion through your settings.
Can I set different birthday visibility for different friends?
No. Your birthday visibility setting applies to everyone — you cannot show your birthday to some friends and hide it from others. Your only options are public, friends-only, or private to yourself.