You can change your birthday in Facebook settings, but the platform limits how often you can do it
Facebook lets you change your birthday through your account settings. The process takes less than a minute, but Facebook restricts how many times you can change it — you can only update it once every 60 days. If you need to correct it because you entered the wrong date when you created your account, or because you want to update it to match a legal name change, you can do that yourself without contacting Facebook support.
The birthday you set on Facebook controls whether your friends see it on their calendar, whether Facebook sends you a birthday reminder, and whether the platform shows your age to advertisers. Changing it does not affect your account security or login information.
Key Takeaways
- You can change your birthday once every 60 days through your Facebook settings on a computer or phone.
- Facebook shows your birthday to your friends and uses it for targeted advertising unless you hide it in your privacy settings.
- If you have changed your birthday recently, you will have to wait 60 days before you can change it again.
- Changing your birthday does not change your account login, password, or any other security settings.
How to change your birthday on a computer
Open Facebook and click the downward arrow in the top right corner of your screen. Select Settings and privacy, then click Settings. On the left side, click Personal information. Find the line that says Birthday and click the pencil icon next to it.
Enter your new birthday using the dropdown menus for month, day, and year. Click Save changes when you are done. Facebook will confirm the change when ready, and your new birthday will be saved to your account.
How to change your birthday on your phone
Open the Facebook app and tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) in the bottom right corner. Scroll down and tap Settings and privacy, then tap Settings. Tap Personal information. Find Birthday and tap the pencil icon next to it.
Use the dropdown menus to select your new month, day, and year. Tap Save changes at the bottom of the screen. The change takes effect right away.
What happens when you change your birthday
When you update your birthday, Facebook when ready stops showing the old date to your friends. If your birthday is set to public, your friends will see the new date on their birthday calendar. If you have it set to private, only you will see it.
Facebook also uses your birthday for targeted advertising — the platform shows different ads to people in different age groups. Changing your birthday will change which age group you fall into for advertising purposes, so you may start seeing different ads within a few hours.
The 60-day waiting period between changes
Facebook enforces a 60-day rule: once you change your birthday, you cannot change it again for 60 days. This rule applies whether you change it on a computer or phone. If you try to change it before 60 days have passed, Facebook will show you a message saying you have to wait until a specific date.
The 60-day timer starts from the date you made the change, not from when you created your account. If you changed your birthday on January 15, you cannot change it again until March 16 (60 days later). If you made a mistake and need to correct it before 60 days have passed, you will have to contact Facebook support through the Help Center.
How to hide your birthday from friends
If you do not want your friends to see your birthday, you can change who can see it. Click the downward arrow in the top right, go to Settings and privacy, then Settings. Click Personal information and find Birthday. Click the audience icon (it looks like a person or a globe) next to your birthday.
Select Only me to hide it from everyone, or choose Friends if you want only your friends to see it. You can also set it to Custom to choose specific people or groups. Your birthday will still be stored in your account — you are only changing who can see it.
What to do if you cannot change your birthday
If Facebook will not let you change your birthday and you have not made a change in the last 60 days, the problem may be with your account settings or browser. Try clearing your browser cache and cookies, then log out and log back in. If you are using the Facebook app, try closing it completely and reopening it.
If you still cannot change it after trying these steps, or if you need to change it before 60 days have passed, go to the Facebook Help Center and select Report a problem. Describe what happened and Facebook support will review your request. Support can sometimes override the 60-day rule if you have a legitimate reason, such as correcting a typo in your original birthday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my birthday more than once every 60 days?
No. Facebook limits birthday changes to once every 60 days. If you need to change it sooner, you will have to contact Facebook support and explain why. Support may be able to help if you made a mistake when you first entered your birthday.
Will changing my birthday affect my Facebook account or password?
No. Your birthday is separate from your login information. Changing it will not affect your password, email address, phone number, or any other security settings on your account.
Can my friends see when I change my birthday?
No. Facebook does not send a notification to your friends when you change your birthday. They will only see the new date if your birthday is set to public and they look at your profile or birthday calendar.
What if I do not want Facebook to know my real birthday?
You can enter any date you want in your birthday field. Facebook does not verify that the date you enter is your actual birthday. You can set it to a fake date and hide it from everyone by changing the privacy setting to Only me.
Does changing my birthday change my age on Facebook?
Yes. Facebook calculates your age based on the birthday you enter. If you change your birthday from 1990 to 1995, your age will change from 34 to 29. This affects both what you see and what advertisers see about your age group.