How to change your age on Facebook
You can change your age on Facebook through your profile settings in a few steps. Go to your profile, click the three-line menu icon, select Settings and privacy, then Settings. Look for Personal information in the left menu, find your birth date, and click the pencil icon next to it. You can then edit the month, day, and year. Facebook will save the change when ready.
The process is the same whether you're using Facebook on a computer or a mobile phone, though the menu layout looks slightly different on mobile. If you're on a phone, tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right of the screen instead of at the top.
Key Takeaways
- Your birth date lives in the Personal information section of your Settings, not on your public profile page.
- You can change your age as many times as you want, but Facebook limits how often you can change the visibility of your birth date.
- If you can't find the birth date field, make sure you're logged into the account you want to edit.
- Your age may be visible to friends, the public, or hidden entirely depending on your privacy settings for that field.
Where to find your birth date in settings
Your birth date is not stored on your visible profile — it lives in your account settings where only you and Facebook can see it by default. To reach it, open Facebook and look for the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner on a computer, or the bottom right on a mobile phone.
Click or tap that menu, then select Settings and privacy followed by Settings. On the left side of the screen, you'll see a menu with several options. Click Personal information. Your birth date field will appear near the top of that section, usually listed as "Birthday" or "Birth date." Next to it you'll see a small pencil icon — that's what you click to edit it.
Editing your birth date step by step
Once you've found the birth date field and clicked the pencil icon, a box will open showing three separate fields: month, day, and year. Click on whichever field you need to change. You can edit one, two, or all three — Facebook doesn't require you to change everything at once.
Type in the new information and click outside the box or press Enter to save. Facebook saves the change right away. You don't need to click a separate "Save" button. If you make a mistake, you can go back to the same field and edit it again when ready.
Changing how visible your age is to others
By default, your birth date is visible only to you. However, Facebook lets you change who can see it. In the same Personal information section where you edit your birth date, look for a small icon next to the field — it usually looks like a lock or a person icon. Click that icon to open a menu of privacy options.
Your choices are typically Only me (nobody else sees it), Friends (your friends can see it), or Public (anyone on Facebook can see it). Pick whichever setting you prefer. This privacy choice is separate from the birth date itself, so you can change who sees your age without changing the age itself.
What happens if you can't find the birth date field
If you're looking at your settings and the birth date field isn't showing up, the most common reason is that you're not logged into the right account. Make sure you're signed into the Facebook account you actually want to edit. Log out and log back in if you're unsure.
Another possibility is that you're looking in the wrong section. Double-check that you're in Settings and privacy > Settings > Personal information. If you're still not seeing it after checking those steps, try using a different web browser or clearing your browser's cache, as technical glitches sometimes hide fields temporarily.
How often you can change your age
You can change the actual birth date as many times as you want with no limit. However, Facebook does restrict how often you can change the privacy setting for your birth date — that is, who gets to see it. If you change the visibility setting, you may have to wait a period of time before you can change it again, though Facebook doesn't publish exactly how long that waiting period is.
This restriction exists to prevent people from rapidly switching their age between public and private to confuse others. The restriction applies only to the visibility setting, not to the birth date number itself, so you can edit your actual age whenever you need to.
Why Facebook asks for your birth date
Facebook requires a birth date when you create an account because it needs to verify you're old enough to use the platform — the legal age is 13 in most countries. The birth date also helps Facebook show you age-appropriate ads and content, and it powers the birthday notifications your friends see.
Your birth date is one of the pieces of information Facebook stores but doesn't display publicly by default. This is different from your name or profile picture, which are visible to others based on your privacy settings. You control who sees your age separately from who sees the rest of your profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I hide my age from everyone including my friends?
Yes. In the privacy menu next to your birth date field, select Only me. This hides your age from everyone except Facebook itself. Your friends won't see your birthday in their notifications, and your age won't appear anywhere on your profile.
What if I entered the wrong birth date when I created my account?
You can change it the same way you would change it now — through Settings > Personal information. Click the pencil icon next to your birth date and enter the correct one. Facebook will update it when ready. There's no penalty for correcting an error.
Will changing my age affect my account or my friends list?
No. Changing your birth date won't delete your account, remove your friends, or affect any of your posts or photos. It only changes the birth date stored in your account and, if you choose, who can see it.
Can I see what birth date I have on file?
Yes. Go to Settings > Personal information and look at the birth date field. Whatever is shown there is what Facebook has on record for you. If you don't see a birth date listed, it means you haven't entered one yet, and Facebook may ask you to add one.
Does Facebook notify my friends when I change my age?
No. Changing your birth date is silent — your friends won't get a notification, and the change won't show up in their news feeds. Only you will see that the change was made.