Where to find and change your relationship status
Your relationship status lives on your Facebook profile, in the "About" section. 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 you can add it.
Click directly on the relationship status line or the pencil icon next to it. A dropdown menu appears with options: Single, In a relationship, Engaged, Married, It's complicated, In an open relationship, Widowed, or Prefer not to say. Select the one that matches your situation, then click "Save" or "Confirm".
The whole process takes about 30 seconds. Facebook does not require you to have a relationship status at all — you can leave it blank, and many people do for privacy reasons.
Key Takeaways
- Your relationship status is stored in the "About" section of your profile, accessible through the "About" tab below your cover photo.
- You can choose from eight preset options or leave the field blank entirely if you prefer not to share this information.
- By default, your relationship status is visible to everyone on Facebook, but you can change who sees it using the privacy settings next to the status.
- If you are in a relationship with another Facebook user, you can link your profiles so the connection appears on both accounts.
- Changing your status does not automatically notify your contacts, but it may appear in their news feed depending on your privacy settings.
Controlling who can see your relationship status
When you set or change your relationship status, Facebook shows it to everyone by default. If you want to limit who sees it, click the privacy icon (usually a globe or lock symbol) next to the status field before you save. A menu appears with options: Public (everyone), Friends, Only Me, or a custom list.
Choose "Only Me" if you want to keep it private from all other users. Choose "Friends" if you want only your Facebook friends to see it. "Public" means anyone on Facebook or the internet can see it. Many people set relationship status to "Friends" or "Only Me" to avoid unwanted comments or questions from acquaintances.
Linking your profile to your partner's account
If your partner also uses Facebook, you can link your relationship status to their profile. When you do this, the connection appears on both of your profiles — for example, your profile shows "In a relationship with [Partner's Name]" and theirs shows the same about you.
To link your profiles, type your partner's name in the relationship status field instead of just selecting the status. Facebook will suggest their account if they exist. Click on their name to confirm. Your partner will receive a notification asking them to confirm the relationship — they must accept it before the link appears on both profiles.
If your partner does not confirm within a certain time, the status remains on your profile only. You can remove the link at any time by editing the status again and clearing the name field.
What happens when you change your status
When you change your relationship status, Facebook may post it to your news feed and your friends' news feeds, depending on your privacy settings. If you set the status to "Only Me," no one else will see the change. If you set it to "Friends" or "Public," people may see a notification like "[Your Name] is now in a relationship."
You cannot control whether this notification appears in the news feed — that is determined by Facebook's algorithm and your overall privacy settings. If you want to change your status without anyone noticing, set it to "Only Me" first, then change it to your desired privacy level after a few days.
Changing your status does not send messages to specific people or trigger alerts to your contacts. It only appears in the news feed if Facebook's system decides to show it, which is not may provide.
Removing or hiding your relationship status
You can remove your relationship status entirely by going to the "About" section and clicking on the status field. Instead of selecting a new option, click the X or "Remove" button. This deletes the status from your profile completely — it will not appear in your "About" section at all.
If you want to keep the field but hide it from certain people, use the privacy icon to change it to "Only Me." This way, the status exists on your profile but only you can see it. You can change it back to visible at any time.
If you had linked your status to a partner's profile, removing it will break that link. Your partner's profile will no longer show the connection to you, though their status may still say "In a relationship" without a name attached.
Handling a relationship change on Facebook
If your relationship status changes — whether you are ending a relationship, getting married, or moving to a different status — you control when and how you announce it. You do not have to change it when ready. Many people wait a few days or weeks before updating Facebook to give themselves time to process the change privately.
When you do change it, consider setting the privacy to "Friends" or "Only Me" if you want to avoid comments or questions from people you are not close to. You can always change the privacy level later if you want more people to see it.
If you had a linked relationship status with a partner, changing your status will automatically remove the link. The other person will not receive a notification, but they may notice the change if they look at their profile or if it appears in their news feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Facebook notify my partner when I change my relationship status?
If you link your status to your partner's profile, they receive a notification asking them to confirm. If you just change your own status without linking it, they do not get a direct notification — they may only see it if it appears in their news feed. Changing a linked status to something else does not send a notification either.
Can I change my relationship status without it showing in the news feed?
Set the privacy to "Only Me" before you save the change. This prevents it from appearing in anyone else's news feed. You can change the privacy level later if you want more people to see it, but the original change will not have been broadcast.
What if my partner does not confirm the relationship link?
The status will remain on your profile only, showing "In a relationship" without their name attached. They can confirm it later if they change their mind, or you can remove the link yourself at any time by editing the status field.
Can I see who viewed my relationship status change?
No. Facebook does not show you a list of people who saw your relationship status change in the news feed. You can see how many people reacted to or commented on the post if it appeared in the news feed, but not who straightforward viewed it.
What relationship status options does Facebook offer?
Facebook offers eight options: Single, In a relationship, Engaged, Married, It's complicated, In an open relationship, Widowed, and Prefer not to say. You can also leave the field blank. The options do not change based on your location or account type.