Where to Find Your Date of Birth Setting

Your date of birth lives in your Facebook profile settings, not in your main profile information. Go to the menu icon (three horizontal lines on mobile, or the downward arrow on desktop in the top right), then select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Personal information. Your date of birth appears in this section, and you can edit it directly from here.

Facebook requires a date of birth to create an account, but you can change it after you've signed up. The process takes less than a minute once you're in the right menu. If you're on mobile, the steps are the same — just tap the menu icon instead of clicking it.

Key Takeaways

  • Your date of birth is in Settings and privacy > Settings > Personal information, not in your public profile.
  • You can change your birth date as many times as you want, but Facebook limits how often you can change the year specifically.
  • If you entered a fake birth date when you created your account, you can correct it to your real date without penalty.
  • Changing your date of birth does not affect your account security, friends list, or any other part of your profile.

Step-by-Step: Changing Your Date of Birth

Open Facebook and click the menu icon in the top right corner (three lines on mobile, arrow on desktop). Scroll down and tap or click Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left sidebar, select Personal information. You'll see your current date of birth listed — click the pencil icon next to it to edit.

A small window will pop up showing three fields: month, day, and year. Click each field and type or select your correct information. Once you've entered all three, click Save changes or the checkmark button. Facebook will confirm the change when ready, and you're done.

If you're changing only the month or day, the process is identical. If you're changing the year, Facebook may ask you to wait a certain amount of time before changing it again — this is a security measure to prevent account takeovers. The waiting period varies, but you'll see a message if one applies to your account.

Why Facebook Limits Year Changes

Facebook restricts how often you can change your birth year because scammers sometimes use this feature to take over accounts. If someone gains access to your password, changing your birth year is one way they might lock you out of your own account. By limiting year changes, Facebook makes it harder for unauthorized people to alter your account permanently.

You can change the month and day of your birthday as often as you want. Only the year has a waiting period — usually 60 days between changes, though this can vary. If you need to change your birth year and the system won't let you, wait the required time and try again.

What Happens When You Change Your Date of Birth

Changing your date of birth does not affect your friends, messages, photos, or any other content on your account. Your birthday reminders to friends will update to your new date, so if you change your birthday, your friends will see the new date on their birthday reminder list. Your age on your profile updates when ready as well.

If your profile was set to show your birthday publicly, people who visit your profile will see the updated date. If you had it set to private, only you and Facebook will see the change. Your account security and login information remain completely unchanged.

If You Can't Find the Personal Information Section

On older Facebook accounts or accounts created in certain regions, the Personal information section might be labeled differently or located in a slightly different place. If you don't see it in Settings, look for Account settings instead, then scroll down to find Personal information or Basic information.

If you're using Facebook on a phone and the menu looks different, make sure you're in the main Facebook app, not Facebook Lite or a mobile browser. The steps are the same, but the layout can vary slightly between versions. You can also try accessing Facebook from a computer browser if you're having trouble on mobile — the desktop version is often clearer to navigate.

Correcting a Birth Date You Entered Wrong at Signup

Many people enter an incorrect birth date when they first create a Facebook account — either by accident or because they were underage and Facebook requires users to be at least 13 years old. You can correct this to your real date of birth at any time using the same steps above. Facebook will not penalize you or disable your account for fixing an error.

If you entered a birth date that made you appear older or younger than you actually are, changing it now won't cause any problems. Your account will straightforward reflect your correct age going forward. This is especially important if you're now old enough to use features that were previously restricted by age, or if you want your birthday reminders to be accurate.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often can I change my birth year on Facebook?

You can change the month and day as often as you want, but Facebook typically limits birth year changes to once every 60 days. If you try to change the year and see a message saying you have to wait, that's the security restriction in place. The exact waiting period can vary by account.

Will my friends know I changed my birthday?

Your friends won't get a notification that you changed your birthday, but if they look at your profile or have birthday reminders turned on, they'll see the new date. If you change your actual birthday (the month and day), your birthday reminder to friends will update to the new date.

Can I hide my birth date after I change it?

Yes. After you change your date of birth, go back to Personal information and look for the privacy settings next to your birthday. You can set it to visible to everyone, visible only to friends, or visible only to you. This setting is separate from changing the date itself.

What if I forgot my password and can't get into Settings?

You'll need to reset your password first. Go to facebook.com and click "Forgotten password?" on the login screen. Follow the steps to regain access to your account, then you can change your birth date. If you can't access your email or phone number, you may need to use Facebook's account recovery process.

Does changing my birth date affect my age on other apps that use Facebook login?

Apps that connected to your Facebook account before the change will usually update your age automatically. However, some older apps may not sync the change. If an app is showing your old age, try disconnecting and reconnecting your Facebook account in that app's settings.