Change Your Location in Settings

To change the location Facebook shows for your account, open Facebook on your computer or phone and go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Personal Information. Find the line that says Location and click the pencil icon next to it. Delete the current location and type in the new city or region you want to display. Click Save Changes when you're done.

The location you set here is what appears on your profile when someone visits it. This is different from your actual GPS location — Facebook does not broadcast where you physically are right now. The location you enter is just text that you control, so you can put any city, town, or region you choose, or leave it blank if you prefer not to display one at all.

On a phone, the steps are the same but the menu layout looks slightly different. Tap the three horizontal lines (the menu icon) at the bottom right, scroll down to Settings and Privacy, tap Settings, then tap Personal Information. The Location field works the same way — tap it, edit the text, and save.

Key Takeaways

  • Your profile location is set manually in Settings under Personal Information, and you can change it to any city or leave it blank.
  • The location on your profile is not your real-time GPS position — it is just text that you type in and control.
  • Changes take effect when ready once you save them, and the new location will show on your profile right away.
  • You can update your location as often as you want, and there is no limit to how many times you change it.

Why Your Location Might Not Update Right Away

Sometimes after you save a new location, it takes a few minutes to show up on your profile or in search results. This is normal — Facebook's servers need time to sync the change across all its systems. Refresh your profile page or log out and back in if you want to see the update faster.

If you changed your location but it still shows the old one after an hour, clear your browser cache or the app cache on your phone. On iPhone, go to Settings, find Facebook, and tap Offload App, then reinstall it. On Android, go to Settings, Apps, Facebook, Storage, and tap Clear Cache. Then open Facebook again and check your profile.

The Difference Between Profile Location and Active Status

Your profile location and your active status are two separate things. The location on your profile is what you set in Settings — it stays the same until you change it. Your active status is the green dot that shows whether you are currently using Facebook right now. You can turn off active status in Settings under Privacy, but that does not change your profile location.

Some people confuse these two because they both relate to "where you are," but they work differently. Your profile location is permanent until you edit it. Your active status updates in real time and shows only to people you have chosen to share it with. Changing one does not affect the other.

Removing Your Location Entirely

If you do not want to display any location on your profile, you can delete it completely. Go to Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Personal Information. Click the pencil icon next to Location and delete all the text in the field. Click Save Changes. Your profile will no longer show a location.

Removing your location does not hide anything from Facebook itself — the company still collects location data from your phone's GPS and your internet connection if you allow it. Deleting your profile location only removes the text that other people see when they visit your profile. If you want to control what location data Facebook collects from your device, that is a separate privacy setting found under Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Apps and Websites.

Changing Location on Mobile vs. Desktop

The process is nearly identical on phone and computer, but the menu paths look different because of screen size. On desktop, you see a sidebar on the left with all your settings categories. On mobile, those categories are stacked vertically or hidden behind a menu icon. The actual fields you fill in — the location text box, the save button — work the same way on both.

If you start on your phone and want to finish on your computer, or vice versa, the change will sync automatically. You do not have to update it twice. Once you save the new location on one device, it appears on all your other devices within a few minutes.

What Happens When You Change Your Location

When you update your location, Facebook shows the new one to anyone who visits your profile. People who are already your friends see it, and so do people who are not your friends if your profile is set to public. The change does not send a notification to your friends — they only see the new location if they happen to look at your profile after you change it.

Changing your location does not affect your privacy settings or who can see your posts. It only changes the text that appears in the location field on your profile. If you want to control who sees your location, adjust your profile privacy settings separately — that is found under Settings and Privacy, then Settings, then Privacy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Facebook know my real location even if I change my profile location?

Yes. Your profile location is just text you type in — it does not affect what Facebook knows about your actual location. If you have location services turned on for the Facebook app on your phone, Facebook can see your real GPS position. To stop this, go to your phone's Settings, find Facebook, and turn off Location permission. Your profile location setting does not control this.

Can I set my location to a fake city?

Yes. Your profile location is completely under your control. You can type in any city, town, or made-up place you want. Facebook does not verify that you actually live there. You can also leave it blank or change it whenever you like.

Will my friends get notified when I change my location?

No. Changing your location does not send a notification to your friends. They will only see the new location if they visit your profile after you change it. There is no activity log entry or alert for location changes.

How do I hide my location from specific people?

The easiest way is to remove your location entirely from your profile. If you want to keep a location showing but hide it from certain people, you would need to adjust your overall profile privacy settings, which is more complicated. For most people, deleting the location text is the simplest solution.

What if I cannot find the Location field in Settings?

Make sure you are in the right section. Go to Settings and Privacy, click Settings, then click Personal Information on the left sidebar. The Location field should be there. If you are on mobile, tap the menu icon, go to Settings and Privacy, tap Settings, then tap Personal Information. If it still does not appear, try logging out and back in, or clearing your app cache.