Where to find and change your relationship status

Your relationship status lives on your Facebook profile, in the section Facebook calls "About." To change it, go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture, then click the "About" tab below your cover photo. Scroll down to the "Relationship" section — if you do not see it, click "Edit" next to any section heading and Facebook will show you all available fields.

Click directly on the relationship status line or the pencil icon next to it. Facebook will open a dropdown menu with options: Single, In a relationship, Engaged, Married, It's complicated, In an open relationship, Widowed, or In a domestic partnership. Select the status that matches your situation, then click outside the menu or press Enter to save. The change takes effect when ready.

If you have never set a relationship status before, the field may not appear on your profile at all. In that case, go to "About," scroll to the bottom, and click "Add a field" or "Edit profile," then look for "Relationship" in the list of available sections.

Key Takeaways

  • Your relationship status is stored in your Facebook "About" section and can be changed at any time by clicking the pencil icon next to it.
  • Facebook offers eight preset status options, and you cannot create a custom relationship status or leave the field blank once you have set it.
  • When you change your status, Facebook can notify the other person if you name them, but you control whether the change shows on your timeline and in your friends' feeds.
  • Removing a relationship status entirely requires you to set it back to blank through your privacy settings, which is not the same as deleting your profile.

Whether the other person gets notified

If you add or change your relationship status and name another person in it, Facebook sends them a notification. They will see a message like "[Your name] added you as their relationship status" or "[Your name] changed their relationship status to In a relationship with [their name]." They do not have to accept or confirm — the status appears on your profile whether they respond or not.

If you change your status without naming anyone, or if you remove a named person from your status, the other person does not receive a notification. However, if your friends follow your activity, they may still see the change in their News Feed depending on your privacy settings.

Controlling who sees your relationship status

By default, your relationship status is visible to everyone who can see your profile. To change who sees it, click the audience icon (a small globe or lock symbol) next to the relationship status field. You can set it to Public (everyone), Friends, Specific friends, or Only me.

If you set it to "Only me," no one else can see your relationship status, but you can still see it on your own profile. If you set it to "Friends," only people on your friends list can see it. You can also exclude specific people by choosing "Custom" and typing their names into the "Hide from" field.

What happens when you change or remove your status

When you change your relationship status, Facebook creates a story on your timeline. This story is visible to whoever you have set the audience to — it is not automatically hidden. If you want the change to be private, you must change the audience setting before you make the change, or edit the post afterward by clicking the three dots on the status update and selecting "Edit privacy."

If you want to remove your relationship status entirely, you cannot straightforward delete it. Instead, go back to the relationship field and look for a blank option or an "X" button. Some versions of Facebook show a blank line at the top of the dropdown menu — select that to clear the field. Once you do, the field may disappear from your profile, or it may show as blank depending on your privacy settings.

Naming someone in your relationship status

When you select "In a relationship," "Engaged," "Married," or another status that allows you to name someone, Facebook opens a search field. Type the person's name or Facebook username. Facebook will show you matching profiles — click the correct person to add them. You can only name one person per status.

The person you name does not have to be your Facebook friend for you to add them to your status, but they must have a Facebook profile. If you name someone, they receive a notification, and the status appears on both your profile and theirs (unless they change their privacy settings to hide it).

Changing your status on mobile

On the Facebook mobile app, tap your profile picture at the bottom right, then tap "About." Scroll to "Relationship" and tap the pencil icon. The same dropdown menu appears, and you can select a new status the same way you would on a computer. Tap outside the menu to save.

Mobile and desktop versions of Facebook sync automatically, so a change you make on your phone appears on your computer within seconds, and vice versa.

What information Facebook stores about your relationship

Facebook stores your relationship status as part of your profile data. This information is tied to your account and can be used by Facebook's advertising system to show you ads related to relationships, weddings, dating apps, or other categories. If you name another person in your status, Facebook also stores that connection in its database.

Your relationship status is separate from your actual relationship — changing it on Facebook does not change anything in real life, and Facebook has no way to verify whether your stated status is true. If you and your partner disagree about your status, you can each set your own independently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see when someone changed their relationship status?

If you follow someone's activity or they have posted their status change to their timeline, you may see it in your News Feed. However, Facebook does not show you a history of past relationship statuses or when someone changed theirs. You can only see their current status by visiting their profile.

What if I name someone and they do not accept it?

They do not have to accept anything — the status appears on your profile when ready whether they respond to the notification or not. If they want to remove themselves from your status, they can go to their own profile and edit their relationship status to remove your name.

Does changing my relationship status delete old posts about my relationship?

No. Your timeline posts, photos, and messages remain exactly as they were. Changing your status only changes the status field on your profile — it does not affect any other content you have shared.

Can I hide my relationship status from one specific person?

Yes. Click the audience icon next to your relationship status and select "Custom." Type the person's name in the "Hide from" field. They will not be able to see your relationship status, but your friends and others in your audience will still see it.

What happens to my relationship status if I deactivate my account?

When you deactivate your Facebook account, your profile becomes invisible to other users, including your relationship status. If you reactivate your account later, your status returns exactly as it was before deactivation.