Where to find and change your birth date

Your age on Facebook lives in your profile settings, not on your profile itself. Go to the top right of Facebook, click the downward arrow, and select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Personal information. You will see a section labeled Basic information — your birth date appears there.

Click on the birth date field to edit it. Facebook will open a dropdown where you can change the month, day, and year separately. Enter the correct date and click Save. The change takes effect when ready, though it may take a few minutes to show across all Facebook services.

If you cannot find the Personal information section, you may be on the mobile app. On your phone, tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right, scroll down to Settings and privacy, tap Settings, then scroll to Personal information. The process is the same from there.

Key Takeaways

  • Your birth date is stored in Settings under Personal information, not visible on your public profile unless you choose to display it.
  • You can change your birth date at any time by editing the month, day, and year fields separately in the Basic information section.
  • Facebook limits how often you can change your birth date — you may only change it once every 60 days after your first edit.
  • If your birth date is hidden from your profile, only you and Facebook can see it; changing the date does not automatically make it public.

Why Facebook asks for your birth date

Facebook requires a birth date when you create an account for age verification. The platform uses this information to enforce its minimum age requirement of 13 years old and to show you age-appropriate ads and content. Your birth date also determines which birthday reminders your friends receive and whether you see certain features — for example, Facebook restricts some advertising categories to users over 18.

Your birth date is not public by default. Even if your profile is completely open, your age and birth date remain private unless you specifically change your privacy settings to show them. Many people keep this information hidden for safety reasons.

Controlling who sees your birth date

If you want to hide your birth date from your profile entirely, go back to Personal information in Settings. Next to your birth date, you will see a privacy icon — it usually looks like a globe, a lock, or a group of people. Click that icon to change who can see your birth date.

Your options are typically Public (everyone can see it), Friends (only your friends can see it), or Only me (nobody but you can see it). Choose Only me if you want to keep your age completely private. You can change this setting as often as you want — there is no limit on privacy adjustments.

Keep in mind that hiding your birth date does not hide your birthday itself if you have already shared it with friends or if it appears in old posts. Those remain visible separately.

What happens if you enter the wrong age initially

If you created your account with an incorrect birth date — whether by accident or because you were underage when you signed up — you can correct it now. Facebook does not penalize you for changing your birth date after account creation. The change is treated as a correction, not a violation.

However, Facebook does limit how frequently you can edit your birth date once you have made changes. After your first edit, you can only change it again after 60 days have passed. This restriction exists to prevent people from repeatedly changing their age to bypass age-based restrictions on ads or features.

If you cannot change your birth date

Sometimes the birth date field appears locked or will not accept your edit. This usually happens if you have already changed your birth date within the last 60 days. Facebook enforces this waiting period automatically — you cannot override it through settings or by contacting support.

If you see an error message instead of a waiting period, try clearing your browser cache and logging in again. If you are on the mobile app, try switching to the desktop version of Facebook in your phone's web browser. Occasionally a technical glitch prevents the field from updating, and switching platforms resolves it.

If you believe your account was created with a birth date you did not choose — for example, someone else set it up — you can contact Facebook through the Help Center. Go to Settings, scroll to the bottom, and click Help and support. Search for "change birth date" and select the option to report a problem. Explain the situation, and a support agent may be able to override the 60-day restriction.

Birth date and account security

Your birth date is one piece of information Facebook uses to verify your identity if you lose access to your account. If you cannot log in, Facebook may ask you to confirm your birth date as part of the recovery process. Make sure the date you enter is one you will remember — if you change it to something random, you may have trouble recovering your account later.

Do not share your exact birth date with people you do not trust, even outside of Facebook. Combined with other information, a birth date can be used to guess passwords or answer security questions on other accounts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide my birthday but keep my birth date on file?

Yes. Your birth date in Settings is separate from your birthday on your profile. You can set your birth date to "Only me" in privacy settings while still allowing friends to see your birthday reminder. Go to Personal information and adjust the privacy icon next to your birth date.

What if I want to change my age but keep the same birthday?

You cannot change only the year while keeping the month and day the same — Facebook treats any change to the birth date field as a full edit. If you want a different birth year but the same month and day, you will need to enter the new year and wait 60 days before making another change.

Does changing my birth date affect my friends' birthday reminders?

Yes. If you change your birth date to a different month or day, your friends will stop receiving reminders for your old birthday and will receive them on your new date instead. If you only change the year, the reminder date stays the same.

Can Facebook see my real birth date if I hide it?

Facebook always has access to the birth date you entered during account creation or updated in settings, regardless of your privacy settings. The privacy controls only affect what other people can see, not what Facebook itself can access.

What if I was under 13 when I created my account?

You can update your birth date now to reflect your actual age. Facebook does not delete accounts or penalize users who were underage at signup — the platform straightforward requires the correct date going forward. Update it in Personal information and adjust your privacy settings if you want to keep it hidden.