Facebook shows you birthdays in three places, and you can control what you see
Facebook displays upcoming birthdays in your sidebar (on desktop), in a dedicated section on mobile, and in your notifications. You can also search for a specific person's birthday by visiting their profile and looking at their "About" section, where they may have shared it publicly. The birthday information comes from what people entered when they created their account or updated their profile — Facebook does not verify it, so dates may be inaccurate.
Not every birthday appears in your feed. Facebook only shows you birthdays from people you are connected to, and only if they chose to share that information. Someone might have entered their birthday but set it to private, or they might not have entered one at all. You will not see birthdays from accounts that are deactivated or from people who have blocked you.
Key Takeaways
- Birthdays appear in your Facebook sidebar on desktop and in a dedicated birthday section on mobile if the person shared that information with you.
- You can find a specific person's birthday by opening their profile and checking their "About" section, if they made it visible.
- Facebook does not verify birthdays, so dates may be wrong or outdated if someone entered incorrect information years ago.
- You can turn off birthday notifications in your settings if you do not want reminders, or you can use Facebook's birthday calendar to plan ahead.
Finding birthdays on your desktop version of Facebook
On desktop, the birthday sidebar appears on the right side of your home feed. It shows the names and profile pictures of people with birthdays today or coming up in the next few days. Click on any name to open their profile or send them a message. If you do not see the sidebar, scroll down — it may be below the fold depending on your screen size.
To see a full list of upcoming birthdays, look for the birthday icon (usually a cake) in the left sidebar menu. Click it to open your birthday calendar, which shows all birthdays for the current month and lets you navigate to other months. This view is useful if you want to plan ahead or check whether someone's birthday is coming up without waiting for the notification.
Finding birthdays on the Facebook mobile app
On the mobile app, birthdays appear in a dedicated section that you can access from the main menu. Open the app, tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) at the bottom right, scroll down, and look for "Birthday" or a cake icon. This takes you to a list of upcoming birthdays for your connections.
You can also see birthdays by opening someone's profile directly. Tap their name or profile picture, then scroll to their "About" section. If they shared their birthday publicly, it will appear there with the month and day. Some people include the year; others do not. If you do not see a birthday listed, they either did not enter one or chose to keep it private.
Searching for a specific person's birthday
Use Facebook's search bar to find someone quickly, then check their profile. Type their name into the search box at the top of the app or website. When their profile appears, open it and scroll to the "About" section. Look for a line that says "Birthday" followed by a date. If nothing appears there, they have not shared it or did not enter one.
If you are looking for someone you are not yet connected to, you may not be able to see their birthday even if they shared it. Facebook restricts birthday visibility to friends and connections in most cases. If their profile is set to private, you will see even less information until they accept your friend request.
Using Facebook's birthday calendar feature
Facebook's birthday calendar shows all upcoming birthdays in a month view, making it easier to plan ahead. On desktop, click the birthday icon in the left sidebar to open the calendar. On mobile, go to the birthday section through the menu. You can navigate between months using the arrows at the top of the calendar.
The calendar displays names and sometimes profile pictures next to each date. Clicking on a birthday takes you to that person's profile or opens a message window so you can send them a greeting. This feature is useful if you want to batch-check birthdays for the month or plan when to reach out to people.
What information Facebook collects about birthdays
When you create a Facebook account, the platform asks for your birth date. You can choose to share this publicly, show it only to friends, or keep it completely private. Facebook uses this information to send you birthday reminders, show you birthday notifications, and personalize your experience. The company also uses birthday data for age-gating — ensuring that people under 13 cannot access certain features.
Facebook does not verify that the birthday you entered is correct. If you entered a fake date when you signed up, that is what appears on your profile. If you changed your birthday later, the new date replaces the old one. You can update your birthday anytime by going to your profile, clicking "About," and editing the date. Be aware that Facebook limits how often you can change your birthday — you may only be able to change it once per year or once every few years, depending on your account history.
Controlling your birthday visibility and notifications
You control who sees your birthday by adjusting your privacy settings. Go to your profile, click "About," find the birthday field, and click the privacy icon next to it. You can set it to "Public" (everyone sees it), "Friends" (only your connections see it), or "Only Me" (no one sees it). Changing this setting does not affect birthdays you already shared — it only applies going forward.
If you want to turn off birthday notifications, go to your settings and privacy menu, then select "Notifications." Look for birthday-related notifications and toggle them off. You can also mute birthday reminders without disabling them entirely — this stops them from appearing in your notifications but keeps the information visible on your profile and in the birthday calendar.
Why some birthdays do not appear on Facebook
A birthday might not show up for several reasons. The person may not have entered a birthday when they created their account. They may have set their birthday to private so only they can see it. They may have deactivated their account temporarily, which hides most of their information from other users. Or they may have blocked you, which prevents you from seeing any of their profile information.
Facebook also does not display birthdays for accounts that have been deleted permanently. If someone deleted their account, all their information — including their birthday — is removed from the platform. If you are trying to remember someone's birthday and cannot find it on Facebook, you may need to ask them directly or check another source like a contact list or calendar app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see someone's birthday if we are not friends?
Not usually. Facebook restricts birthday visibility to friends and connections by default. If someone set their birthday to public, you might see it on their profile even without being connected, but most people keep it private. The safest way to find out is to send them a friend request first.
Does Facebook notify people when I view their birthday?
No. Facebook does not tell someone that you looked at their birthday or checked their profile. Viewing a birthday is not the same as sending a message or reacting to a post, so there is no notification sent to them.
Can I export a list of all my friends' birthdays?
Facebook does not have a built-in feature to export birthdays as a file. You can take screenshots of your birthday calendar or manually write down dates, but there is no one-click read option. Some third-party apps claim to do this, but they require you to give them access to your Facebook account, which carries privacy risks.
What happens if I change my birthday on Facebook?
Your profile updates when ready to show the new date. However, Facebook limits how often you can change your birthday — you may only be able to do it once per year or once every few years. If you made a mistake when you first signed up, you might need to wait before you can correct it.
Why did someone's birthday disappear from my birthday list?
They may have changed their privacy settings to hide their birthday, deactivated their account, deleted their account, or blocked you. They could also have removed you from their friends list. If you are still connected and their birthday was visible before, ask them directly if they changed their settings.