The fastest way to change what people see on your Facebook profile

Open Facebook and tap your profile icon in the bottom right corner (mobile) or top right corner (desktop). Select "See your profile" or click directly on your name. At the top of your profile, you will see your cover photo and profile picture. Tap or click the camera icon over whichever one you want to change, then choose a photo from your phone or computer. Facebook will let you crop and position it before you save.

To change your name, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. Look for "Personal Information" and select "Name." Type your new name and click "Review Change." Facebook will show you how it will appear to others. Click "Save Changes" and you are done. Note that Facebook limits how often you can change your name — usually once every 60 days — and the name must follow their real-name policy, meaning no symbols, numbers, or excessive punctuation.

Key Takeaways

  • Your profile picture and cover photo can be changed by tapping the camera icon over each image and selecting a new photo from your device.
  • Your name is changed through Settings and Privacy > Settings > Personal Information > Name, and Facebook enforces a 60-day waiting period between changes.
  • Your bio, work history, education, and relationship status are all edited from the "About" section of your profile.
  • Privacy settings control who sees each piece of information you change, and you can make different details visible to different groups of people.

Changing your bio and "About" information

Your bio is the short text that appears under your name on your profile. To edit it, go to your profile and tap or click "Edit profile" or the pencil icon near your name. Find the "Bio" field and type or paste your text. Facebook allows up to 101 characters. When you are done, click outside the field or tap the checkmark to save.

Longer information — like where you work, where you went to school, your relationship status, and your phone number — lives in the "About" section. Tap "Edit profile" and scroll down to find each section. Click into any field to add or change the information. Some fields let you choose who sees them: you can make your phone number visible only to close friends, for example, while leaving your work history visible to everyone. After you type something in, click outside the field to save it.

Changing who can see your profile information

Every piece of information on your profile has its own privacy setting. When you add or edit something — your phone number, birthday, relationship status, or work history — look for a small icon next to the field that shows who can see it. It usually looks like a globe (everyone), a group of people (friends), or a lock (only you).

Tap or click that icon to change it. You can set it to "Public" (everyone on Facebook and the internet), "Friends" (only people you are connected to), "Friends except..." (everyone except specific people), or "Only me" (nobody else sees it). These settings are independent — you can make your job visible to everyone but hide your phone number from everyone, or any combination in between. The changes save when ready.

Changing your profile URL and username

Your profile URL is the web address people use to find you — something like facebook.com/yourname. To change it, go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. Select "Personal Information" and look for "Username." Click "Edit" and type a new username. It must be between 5 and 50 characters and can include letters, numbers, periods, and underscores. Click "Review" to see how it will look, then "Save Changes."

You can change your username once every 60 days. If the username you want is already taken, Facebook will tell you and suggest alternatives. Your old URL will stop working once you change it, so if you have shared your profile link anywhere, you will need to update those links.

Changing your profile picture and cover photo with more control

When you tap the camera icon over your profile picture or cover photo, Facebook shows you options: "Upload Photo," "Choose from Photos," or "Remove Photo." If you choose "Upload Photo," you can pick a new image from your device. Facebook will let you crop it and move it around before you confirm. For profile pictures, you can also add a frame — a decorative border that shows support for a cause or celebrates a holiday.

Cover photos are larger and appear at the top of your profile. You can upload any image, and Facebook will let you position it so the part you care about is centered. If you remove your cover photo, Facebook shows a plain background instead. Both your profile picture and cover photo can be changed as often as you want, with no waiting period.

What happens when you change your profile information

When you change your name, profile picture, or other details, your friends will see a notification that you updated your profile. The notification appears in their News Feed and shows what changed. If you change your name, the old name disappears from your profile and from most places on Facebook, though some older posts or comments may still show the name you used when you wrote them.

If you change your profile picture, the new one appears everywhere when ready — in comments, posts, messages, and your profile. Your old profile pictures are not deleted; they stay in your "Photos" section unless you remove them. Changing your bio, work history, or other "About" information does not trigger a notification to your friends, so only people who visit your profile will see the change.

Troubleshooting common profile change problems

If Facebook rejects your name change and says it does not follow their real-name policy, the name likely contains symbols, numbers, or punctuation that Facebook does not allow. Try removing anything that is not a letter or space. If you get a message that you have changed your name too recently, you will need to wait until the 60-day window has passed since your last change.

If your profile picture or cover photo will not upload, the file may be too large or in a format Facebook does not support. Facebook accepts JPG, PNG, and GIF files. Try compressing the image or converting it to one of those formats. If you are on mobile and the camera icon does not appear, try refreshing the page or logging out and back in. On desktop, make sure you are using an up-to-date browser.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change my Facebook name more than once?

Yes, but Facebook enforces a 60-day waiting period between name changes. After you change your name, you cannot change it again for 60 days. If you try before that time has passed, Facebook will show you a message telling you when you can change it next.

What happens to my old profile picture when I upload a new one?

Your old profile pictures are saved in your "Photos" section under "Profile Pictures." They are not deleted automatically. You can view them, read them, or remove them yourself if you want them gone. Only your current profile picture appears on your profile and in your comments and posts.

Can I make my profile information visible to some people but not others?

Yes. Each piece of information on your profile — your phone number, birthday, work history, relationship status — has its own privacy setting. You can set different information to be visible to everyone, only friends, friends except certain people, or only yourself. Tap the privacy icon next to any field to change who sees it.

Does Facebook notify my friends when I change my profile picture or name?

Facebook sends a notification when you change your name or profile picture, and it appears in your friends' News Feeds. The notification shows what changed. Changes to your bio, work history, or other "About" information do not send notifications — only people who visit your profile will see those changes.

What if Facebook says my profile picture is not allowed?

Facebook may reject a profile picture if it violates their Community Standards — for example, if it contains nudity, hate speech, or violence. If your picture is rejected, try a different image. If you believe the rejection was a mistake, you can request a review through Facebook's appeals process, though this may take several days.