Where Facebook Stores Birthday Information

Facebook stores birthdays in two places: on individual profile pages and in a dedicated birthday calendar that Facebook maintains for you. When someone adds their birthday to their profile, Facebook shows it on their "About" section and uses it to send them birthday reminders and notifications. You can see a person's birthday if they have made it visible in their privacy settings — some people hide it entirely, some show it only to friends, and some make it public.

The birthday calendar is the faster way to find multiple birthdays at once. Facebook automatically creates this calendar and populates it with the birthdays of people you are connected to, but only the ones who have chosen to share that information with you. This calendar updates as people add or change their birthdays.

Key Takeaways

  • You can view a single person's birthday by going to their profile, clicking "About," and looking at the "Basic Information" section if they have made it visible.
  • Facebook's birthday calendar shows all upcoming birthdays of your friends in one place and can be found in the left sidebar under "Events" on desktop or in the menu on mobile.
  • A person's birthday visibility depends on their privacy settings — if they have hidden it from you, you will not be able to see it no matter where you look.
  • You can export Facebook's birthday calendar to your phone's calendar app so you receive reminders outside of Facebook.

Finding a Single Person's Birthday on Their Profile

Open the person's Facebook profile by searching for their name or clicking on their profile from a friend list or comment. Once you are on their profile page, look for the "About" tab or button — on desktop this is usually near the top of the profile, and on mobile it is in the menu below their cover photo. Click or tap "About."

Scroll down to the "Basic Information" section. If the person has added their birthday and made it visible to you, it will appear here with the month and day. Some profiles show the year as well, while others hide it. If you do not see a birthday listed, either the person has not added one or they have hidden it from your view.

Using Facebook's Birthday Calendar

On desktop, look at the left sidebar of your Facebook home page. Scroll down until you see "Events" — underneath it you should see "Birthdays." Click on "Birthdays" to open a calendar view of all upcoming birthdays from people in your network who have shared that information with you.

On mobile, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right of the screen. Scroll down and tap "Events," then tap "Birthdays." The calendar will show you the current month with birthdays marked on the dates they occur. You can swipe or tap to move between months and see birthdays further ahead.

This calendar is the quickest way to see multiple birthdays at once. Facebook lists them in chronological order, so you can see whose birthday is coming up soonest. Clicking on a birthday takes you to that person's profile.

Exporting Birthdays to Your Phone's Calendar

Facebook allows you to sync its birthday calendar with your phone's built-in calendar app so you receive reminders even when you are not on Facebook. On iPhone, go to Facebook Settings (tap the menu icon, then "Settings & Privacy," then "Settings"), scroll down to "Birthdays," and toggle on "Sync Birthdays." Your phone will ask permission to access your calendar — allow it, and Facebook birthdays will appear in your Calendar app with notifications.

On Android, the process is similar but varies slightly by phone model. Open Facebook Settings, find "Birthdays," and look for an option to sync with your calendar app. You may need to grant Facebook permission to write to your calendar. Once enabled, birthdays will appear in Google Calendar or whatever calendar app your phone uses by default.

After syncing, you can set reminders for each birthday in your phone's calendar app. This way you will receive a notification on the day itself, even if you do not open Facebook.

Understanding Privacy Settings That Hide Birthdays

Not every birthday you search for will be visible. Facebook lets people control who can see their birthday, and many choose to hide it from everyone except close friends or family. If someone has hidden their birthday from you, it straightforward will not appear anywhere — not on their profile, not in the birthday calendar, nowhere.

You cannot override someone's privacy choice or ask Facebook to show you a hidden birthday. If you need to know someone's birthday and it is not visible, your only option is to ask them directly. Some people hide birthdays for privacy reasons, some because they prefer not to receive birthday messages on social media, and some because they have not set the information at all.

What Happens When Someone Changes or Removes Their Birthday

If someone updates their birthday on Facebook, the change appears in the birthday calendar within a few hours. If they remove their birthday entirely, it disappears from the calendar and their profile when ready. You will not receive a notification that they changed it — you will only notice if you check their profile or the calendar again.

If someone's birthday was visible to you before and then disappears, they have either removed it or changed their privacy settings to hide it from you. There is no way to see what their birthday was after they remove it, unless you had written it down separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see someone's birthday if they have not made it public?

No. If someone has hidden their birthday from you or set it to be visible only to certain people, you cannot see it. Facebook respects the privacy choice they made when they set up their profile. You would need to ask them directly.

Does Facebook notify people when I view their birthday?

No. Viewing someone's birthday on their profile or in the birthday calendar does not send them a notification. They will not know you looked at their birthday information unless you send them a message or post on their wall.

Can I add someone else's birthday to Facebook if they have not added it themselves?

No. Only the person who owns the profile can add or edit their own birthday. You cannot add a birthday for someone else, even if you are friends with them.

What if the birthday calendar is not showing up on my Facebook?

The birthday calendar only appears if you have at least one friend who has shared their birthday with you. If none of your friends have made their birthdays visible, the calendar section may not appear in your sidebar. You can still view individual birthdays by visiting people's profiles.

Can I print or read the birthday calendar?

Facebook does not have a built-in print or read feature for the birthday calendar. Your best option is to sync it to your phone's calendar app, which you can then export or print from your phone's calendar settings depending on what app you use.