Where to Find Your Profile Settings
Your Facebook profile settings live in one place: the menu at the top right of your screen. Click your profile picture, then select Settings and privacy, then Settings. From there, click Personal information in the left column. This is where you can change almost everything about how your profile appears to other people.
If you are on a phone or tablet, the layout is slightly different but the path is the same. Tap the three horizontal lines (called a menu icon) at the bottom right, scroll down to Settings and privacy, tap Settings, then tap Personal information.
Key Takeaways
- Your profile name, photo, cover photo, and bio are all changed from the Personal information section in Settings.
- You can change your name once every 60 days, and Facebook may reject names that look fake or contain numbers and symbols.
- Your profile photo and cover photo upload directly from your device and take effect when ready.
- Privacy settings for your profile — who can see your posts, message you, or find you — are separate from Personal information and live under Privacy.
- Changes to your name, email, or phone number may require you to confirm the change through a link Facebook sends you.
Changing Your Name
To change your name, go to Personal information and click Name. Type your new name in the field that appears. Facebook lets you change your name once every 60 days. If you change it more often than that, you will see a message telling you when you can change it again.
Facebook has rules about what names it accepts. Your name cannot contain numbers, symbols, or repeated characters (like "Jooohn"). It also cannot look like a fake name — for example, a name that is all numbers or that mimics a business name. If Facebook rejects your name, try removing numbers or symbols and using only letters, spaces, and hyphens. If you still have trouble, you can contact Facebook's support team through the Help Center.
When you change your name, your friends will see the change in their News Feed. If you want to change your name without announcing it, there is no way to hide the notification, but you can change your name back within 60 days if you change your mind quickly.
Updating Your Profile Photo and Cover Photo
Your profile photo is the small picture that appears next to your name everywhere on Facebook. Your cover photo is the large banner image at the top of your profile. Both are changed from your profile itself, not from Settings.
To change your profile photo, go to your profile and click your current profile picture. A menu will appear with options to Upload photo, Choose from photos, or Take a photo. Pick the image you want, crop it if needed, and click Save. The new photo takes effect when ready.
To change your cover photo, click the camera icon in the top right corner of your cover image. You will see the same upload options. Cover photos are larger and wider than profile photos, so choose an image that looks good in a landscape format. You can also reposition the photo by dragging it up or down after you upload it.
Editing Your Bio and About Section
Your bio is the short text that appears under your name on your profile. To change it, go to your profile, click Edit profile (or Add bio if you do not have one yet), and type or paste your text. You can write up to 101 characters. Click outside the box or press Enter to save.
The About section is longer and more detailed. Go to Personal information in Settings, click About, and you will see fields for work, education, hometown, current city, and other details. Fill in the sections that matter to you. Each field is separate, so you can update just one without touching the others.
Both your bio and About information are public by default, meaning anyone on Facebook can see them. If you want to limit who sees this information, go to Privacy in Settings and adjust who can see your profile details.
Changing Your Email Address or Phone Number
Your email and phone number are tied to your account security, not just your profile appearance. To change them, go to Personal information in Settings and look for Email or Phone. Click the field you want to change and type the new information.
When you change your email or phone number, Facebook will send you a confirmation link to the old email address or a code to the old phone number. You must confirm the change by clicking the link or entering the code. This is a security step to make sure someone else is not changing your account information without your permission.
You can have more than one email address or phone number connected to your account. If you want to keep your old email but add a new one, click Add email or Add phone number instead of replacing the existing one. You can then set which one is your primary contact method.
Controlling Who Sees Your Profile Information
Changing what information appears on your profile is different from controlling who can see it. To set privacy rules, go to Privacy in Settings, not Personal information. Here you can choose whether your profile is public, visible only to friends, or somewhere in between.
You can also control who can see specific things: your friends list, your posts, your photos, and whether people can message you. For each setting, you will see options like Public, Friends, Friends except, or Only me. Choose the level of privacy you want for each piece of information.
If you want to hide your profile from people who are not your friends, set your profile to Friends only. This means only people you have sent a friend request to and accepted can see your profile picture, name, and other details. People who are not your friends will not be able to find your profile through search.
What Happens When You Change Your Information
Most profile changes take effect when ready. Your new profile photo, cover photo, and bio appear right away. Your name change shows up in your friends' News Feeds and on your profile within a few minutes.
Changes to your email, phone number, or privacy settings may take a few minutes to process. If you change your email or phone, you will not be able to change it again until you confirm the change through the link or code Facebook sends you.
If you make a mistake, you can change most information back right away. The only limit is your name, which you can only change once every 60 days. If you change your name and realize you made a typo, you have to wait 60 days before you can change it again, unless you contact Facebook support to ask for an exception.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my profile name to something completely different?
Yes, you can change your name to any name Facebook accepts. It does not have to be your real name, but it cannot contain numbers, symbols, or look fake. You can change it once every 60 days.
What if Facebook says my name is not allowed?
Facebook rejects names with numbers, symbols, repeated letters, or names that look like business names or fake accounts. Try removing numbers and symbols, using only letters and spaces. If it still does not work, contact Facebook through the Help Center to ask for a review.
Do my friends get notified when I change my profile photo?
Your friends will see your new profile photo, but Facebook does not send them a notification about it. They will notice it the next time they see your profile or your comments on their posts.
Can I change my profile information on my phone?
Yes, all profile changes work the same way on a phone or computer. Tap the menu icon at the bottom right, go to Settings and privacy, then Settings, then Personal information. The process is identical to the computer version.
What if I want to hide my profile from certain people?
Go to Privacy in Settings and set your profile to Friends only. You can also use the Friends except option to hide your profile from specific people while keeping it visible to everyone else on your friends list.