Where to Find the Relationship Status Setting

Your relationship status lives in your Facebook profile, not in your main settings menu. Open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture in the top left. Once you're on your profile page, look for the "About" section — it's usually below your cover photo and to the left of your posts.

Click "About" and you'll see several categories listed on the left side: Work and Education, Places You've Lived, Contact Information, Basic Information, and Family and Relationships. The relationship status field is in the "Family and Relationships" section. Click on that category to expand it.

Key Takeaways

  • Your relationship status is stored in the "Family and Relationships" section of your About page, not in general settings.
  • You can choose who sees your relationship status — only you, friends, or everyone — when you update it.
  • If you're in a relationship with another Facebook user, you can link your profiles so the change appears on both accounts.
  • Changing your status does not automatically notify your friends, but the change will appear in their news feeds if they follow your profile activity.
  • You can remove your relationship status entirely by selecting "Not Specified" instead of deleting your profile.

Selecting and Saving Your New Status

In the "Family and Relationships" section, you'll see a field that says "Relationship Status" with your current selection (or blank if you haven't set one). Click the pencil icon next to it to edit. A dropdown menu will appear with these options: Single, In a Relationship, Engaged, Married, It's Complicated, In an Open Relationship, Widowed, Separated, and Divorced.

Choose the status that matches your situation and click it. The menu will close and your new status will appear in the field. Facebook saves the change automatically — you don't need to click a separate "Save" button. The status takes effect when ready.

Controlling Who Sees Your Relationship Status

Right next to the relationship status field, you'll see a small icon that looks like a person, a lock, or a globe. This controls your privacy setting for that field. Click it to choose who can see your relationship status: only you (the lock icon), friends only (the person icon), or public (the globe icon).

The default is usually "Friends," which means only people on your friends list can see it. If you choose "Only Me," no one else will see your relationship status at all, even though it's saved in your profile. If you choose "Public," anyone on Facebook can see it, whether they're your friend or not. Pick whichever level of privacy feels right for you, and the change saves when ready.

Linking Your Status to Another Person's Profile

If you're in a relationship with someone who also has a Facebook account, you can link your profiles so the relationship status appears on both accounts. When you select "In a Relationship," "Engaged," or "Married," a field will appear asking you to add the other person's name. Start typing their name and Facebook will show you a list of matching profiles.

Click on the correct person's profile to link it. Once you do, a notification will be sent to that person asking them to confirm the relationship. They'll see a message in their notifications saying you've added them as your relationship partner. They can accept, decline, or ignore the request. The status won't appear on their profile until they confirm it. If they confirm, both profiles will show the linked relationship status.

What Happens When You Change Your Status

When you update your relationship status, Facebook does not send a direct notification to your friends. However, if your privacy setting allows friends to see the change, it will appear in their news feeds as an activity update — similar to how they see when you post or change your profile picture. The exact wording depends on your status: "Marcus changed his relationship status to Married" or "Marcus is now in a relationship with Sarah."

If you link your status to another person's profile and they confirm it, both of your names will appear in the news feed update. If you change your status back or remove it later, that change will also appear in your friends' feeds (unless you've set the field to "Only Me").

Removing or Changing Your Relationship Status Later

You can change your relationship status as many times as you need to. Go back to the "Family and Relationships" section of your About page, click the pencil icon next to the status field, and select a different option from the dropdown menu. The change takes effect when ready.

If you want to remove your relationship status entirely without deleting your profile, click the pencil icon and select "Not Specified" at the top of the dropdown menu. This will clear the field and hide your relationship status from your profile. You can always add it back later by following the same steps.

Troubleshooting Common Problems

If you don't see the "Family and Relationships" section on your About page, scroll down — it may be below other sections. If it's not there at all, try refreshing your browser or logging out and back in. Sometimes Facebook takes a moment to load all profile sections.

If you're trying to link your status to another person but their name doesn't appear in the dropdown, make sure you're spelling their name correctly and that they have a public or friend-visible profile. If their profile is set to private, Facebook may not be able to find it. You can still set your status to "In a Relationship" without linking a specific person — just leave the name field blank.

If the other person received your relationship confirmation request but it's been sitting there for a while, you can't resend it. They'll need to respond to the original request, or you can remove the link and try again. To remove a linked relationship, click the X next to their name in the relationship status field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will everyone on Facebook see my relationship status?

No. By default, only your friends can see it. You control this with the privacy icon next to the status field. You can set it to "Only Me" so no one sees it, "Friends" so only friends see it, or "Public" so anyone can see it.

What if I change my status and then change it back — will people notice?

Yes, both changes will appear in your friends' news feeds (unless your privacy is set to "Only Me"). If you're concerned about drawing attention, set the privacy to "Only Me" before making the change, then change it back to "Friends" once you're done.

Can I have a relationship status without linking it to another person?

Yes. When you select a status like "In a Relationship," the name field is optional. You can leave it blank and just have the status show without naming anyone. This is useful if you want to share your status but prefer not to link profiles.

What if the person I'm linking to hasn't confirmed yet — does my status show as linked?

No. Your status will show as "In a Relationship" but their name won't appear on your profile until they confirm the request. Once they confirm, both names will show on both profiles.

Can I change my relationship status on the Facebook app instead of the website?

Yes. Open the app, tap your profile picture, go to "About," tap "Family and Relationships," and follow the same steps. The process is identical on mobile and desktop.