Where to find the marital status setting

Your marital status lives in the "About" section of your Facebook profile, not in your main settings. To reach it, open your profile, click the "About" tab below your cover photo, then look for the "Family and relationships" section on the left side. If you don't see it yet, scroll down — Facebook sometimes hides sections you haven't filled in.

Once you find "Family and relationships," click the pencil icon next to it to edit. This opens a form where you can set your marital status, add a spouse or partner name, and choose who can see this information.

Key Takeaways

  • Your marital status is stored in your About section under "Family and relationships," not in general account settings.
  • Facebook lets you choose from single, in a relationship, engaged, married, in a domestic partnership, in a civil union, or it's complicated.
  • You can add your spouse's or partner's name, and Facebook will ask if you want to notify them — they can accept or decline the connection.
  • You control who sees your marital status by using the privacy dropdown next to each field — you can hide it from everyone except yourself if you choose.
  • Changing your status does not automatically notify your friends; only people who visit your profile will see the update.

The step-by-step process

Open Facebook and navigate to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture. Click the "About" tab directly below your cover photo. Scroll down the left sidebar until you see "Family and relationships" — it may say "Add family members" if you haven't filled it in yet.

Click the pencil icon next to "Family and relationships." A form will appear with a dropdown menu labeled "Marital status." Click that dropdown and choose your status: single, in a relationship, engaged, married, in a domestic partnership, in a civil union, or it's complicated. After you select one, click "Save."

If you want to add a spouse's or partner's name, type their name in the field that appears after you choose your status. Facebook will search for that person's account. When you find them, click their name to link them. Facebook will then send them a notification asking them to confirm the relationship — they can accept, decline, or ignore it.

Controlling who sees your marital status

Next to every field in the "Family and relationships" section, you'll see a small privacy icon — usually a globe, a group of people, or a lock. Click that icon to change who can see that specific piece of information. Your options are usually "Public" (everyone), "Friends" (your Facebook friends only), "Only me" (you alone), or "Custom" (you pick specific people or groups).

Many people set their marital status to "Friends" or "Only me" if they prefer privacy. You can set your status itself to one privacy level and your spouse's name to a different level — Facebook treats each field separately. If you don't want anyone to see your marital status at all, set it to "Only me."

What happens when you add a spouse or partner

When you type a spouse's or partner's name and link their account, Facebook sends them a notification. They will see a message saying you've added them as your spouse or partner and asking them to confirm. They can click "Confirm" to accept the link, "Not now" to skip it, or ignore the notification entirely.

If they confirm, your profiles will be linked and both of you will see the relationship on each other's About sections. If they decline or ignore it, the link won't appear on their profile, but it will still appear on yours (unless you remove it). You can remove a spouse or partner link at any time by clicking the X next to their name in the "Family and relationships" section.

Changing or removing your marital status

To change your status later, go back to your About section, click the pencil icon next to "Family and relationships," and select a different status from the dropdown. To remove your status entirely, click the pencil icon and then click the X or "Remove" button next to your current status. Facebook will ask you to confirm the deletion.

If you had a spouse or partner linked, removing your marital status will also remove that link from your profile. The other person's profile will no longer show the relationship unless they had added you separately on their own profile — in that case, you would need to ask them to remove it from their side as well.

Privacy and notification settings

Changing your marital status does not send an automatic notification to your friends. People will only see the change if they visit your profile or if Facebook's algorithm shows it in their news feed (which it sometimes does for major profile changes, but not always). You are not required to announce the change publicly.

If you want to tell people about a major life change, you can post about it separately on your timeline. This gives you full control over who sees the announcement and what you say about it. Many people prefer this approach because it lets them share the news on their own terms rather than relying on Facebook's automatic visibility.

Troubleshooting common problems

If you don't see the "Family and relationships" section at all, scroll down further in your About tab — Facebook sometimes places it below other sections. If it's still missing, try refreshing the page or logging out and back in. On mobile, the section may be in a different location; try scrolling horizontally or looking under a "More" menu.

If you're trying to link a spouse or partner but their name doesn't appear in the search results, they may have a very common name, a nickname on their account, or privacy settings that hide them from searches. Ask them to send you a link to their profile directly, then copy their name exactly as it appears and try again. If they've set their profile to private, you may not be able to link to them until they adjust their privacy settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide my marital status from certain people?

Yes. Click the privacy icon next to your marital status and choose "Custom." You can then select specific friends, groups, or lists to hide it from, or show it only to certain people. You can also set it to "Only me" to hide it from everyone except yourself.

What happens if my spouse doesn't confirm the relationship?

Your profile will still show them as your spouse, but their profile won't show you as their spouse unless they confirm or add you themselves. You can remove the link from your side at any time by clicking the X next to their name.

Does changing my marital status notify everyone on my friends list?

No. Facebook does not send a direct notification to your friends when you change your status. Some friends may see it in their news feed if Facebook's algorithm includes it, but most won't know unless they visit your profile or you tell them separately.

Can I change my marital status on mobile?

Yes. Open the Facebook app, go to your profile, tap "About," scroll to "Family and relationships," and tap the pencil icon. The process is the same as on a computer, though the layout may look slightly different.

What if I made a mistake and linked the wrong person as my spouse?

Click the pencil icon next to "Family and relationships," find the wrong person's name, and click the X next to it. Confirm the removal. Then add the correct person. The wrong person will not be notified of the removal.