Where to Find the Gender Setting on Facebook

Your gender setting on Facebook lives in your profile information, not in account settings. Open Facebook and click your profile picture in the top right corner, then select "Profile" from the menu. On your profile page, look for the "About" tab below your cover photo — this is where all your personal details live, including gender.

Once you're on the About tab, you'll see sections for work, education, places you've lived, contact information, and basic information. The gender field is in the "Basic Information" section. If you don't see it when ready, scroll down — Facebook sometimes reorganizes where this section appears depending on what information you've already filled in.

Key Takeaways

  • Your gender setting is in the About tab of your profile, under Basic Information, not in account or privacy settings.
  • Facebook lets you choose from standard options or write your own custom gender, and you can control who sees it.
  • You can change your gender as many times as you want with no waiting period or verification process.
  • Your gender change does not affect your name, username, or any other account information.
  • If you've hidden your gender from your profile, you'll need to make it visible again before you can edit it.

Editing Your Gender and Choosing Your Privacy Level

Click on the gender field to open the editing window. Facebook shows you three standard options: Female, Male, and Custom. If you select Custom, a text box appears where you can type any gender description you prefer. This might be "non-binary," "genderqueer," a pronoun, or any other term that fits how you identify.

Below the gender field itself, you'll see a dropdown menu that controls who can see your gender on your profile. The options are usually "Public" (anyone can see it), "Friends" (only people on your friends list), or "Only Me" (hidden from everyone except you). Choose whichever level of privacy you want, then click "Save" or "Done" depending on which version of Facebook you're using.

What Happens If Your Gender Field Is Hidden

If you previously set your gender to "Only Me" or deleted it entirely, the field may appear blank or grayed out on your About tab. You cannot edit a field you've hidden — you have to unhide it first. Click on the field and look for an option that says "Edit" or a pencil icon. Select the privacy dropdown and change it from "Only Me" to either "Friends" or "Public."

Once the field is visible again, you can then click it to change the gender itself. This is a two-step process: first make the field visible, then edit what it says. If you're still not seeing an edit option, try refreshing your browser or logging out and back in, as Facebook sometimes needs a moment to load all editing options.

Changing Your Gender on Mobile Devices

The process on Facebook's mobile app is nearly identical to the desktop version. Open the app, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right, scroll down and tap "Profile," then tap the "About" tab. Scroll to "Basic Information" and tap on the gender field to edit it.

On mobile, the privacy dropdown appears in the same place as desktop — right below the gender field itself. Select your preferred privacy level, type or choose your gender, and tap "Save." The mobile app sometimes shows a confirmation message; if it does, tap "Confirm" to finalize the change.

Timing and How Often You Can Make Changes

Facebook does not limit how many times you can change your gender or how often you can do it. There is no waiting period between changes, and you do not need to provide any documentation or verification. You can change it back and forth as many times as you want, and each change takes effect when ready.

The change appears on your profile right away, but it may take a few minutes to show up in other places like your friends' feeds or search results. If someone is looking at your profile at the exact moment you make the change, they may need to refresh their browser to see the update.

What Does Not Change When You Update Your Gender

Changing your gender on Facebook does not affect your name, username, email address, phone number, or any other account information. It also does not change your profile picture, cover photo, or any posts you've made. Your friends list, messages, and any groups you belong to remain exactly the same.

If you want to change your actual name on Facebook (not just your gender), that is a separate process that requires going to your settings. Your gender is purely a profile detail that you control independently from everything else on your account.

Troubleshooting If the Change Won't Save

If you click Save and the change does not stick, first check your internet connection — a weak connection can cause edits to fail silently. Refresh your profile page to see if the change actually saved; sometimes Facebook updates in the background even if it does not show a confirmation message.

If the field still shows your old gender after refreshing, try logging out completely and logging back in. Clear your browser's cache if you are on desktop, or force-close and reopen the Facebook app on mobile. If you are using an older version of the app, update it from your device's app store. These steps resolve most saving issues. If the problem persists after trying all of these, Facebook's Help Center has a contact form where you can report the technical issue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hide my gender after I've set it?

Yes. Go to your About tab, click on the gender field, and use the privacy dropdown to change it to "Only Me." This hides it from your profile and from search results, though Facebook still stores the information in your account. You can unhide it anytime by changing the privacy setting back to "Friends" or "Public."

Will my friends get a notification if I change my gender?

Facebook does not send notifications about gender changes the way it does for name changes or profile picture updates. Your friends will only see the change if they visit your profile and look at your About section, or if they happen to see it in their feed if you have activity notifications turned on.

Can I use a pronoun instead of a gender?

Yes, if you select the Custom option, you can type any text you want — that includes pronouns like "they/them," "he/him," or "she/her." Facebook does not restrict what you can write in the custom gender field, so you can use whatever term describes your identity.

What if I don't want to list a gender at all?

You can leave the gender field blank by deleting whatever is currently there and saving with an empty field. Alternatively, set the privacy to "Only Me" so it is hidden from everyone viewing your profile. Either approach keeps your gender information private.

Does changing my gender affect my Facebook ads or recommendations?

Facebook uses your gender setting to target ads and personalize content recommendations. Changing your gender will likely change which ads you see and which products Facebook suggests to you, since advertisers can filter by gender. Your privacy setting controls who else sees your gender, but Facebook itself always knows what you set it to.