Where to find birthdays on Facebook
Facebook stores birthday information in two places: on individual profiles and in a dedicated calendar view. The easiest way to see all your friends' birthdays at once is through the Events section, which shows an organized list by month. If you want to find a specific person's birthday, you can visit their profile directly — their birthday appears near the top of their profile information, though only if they chose to share it publicly or with you.
Not every Facebook user makes their birthday visible. Some people set their birthday to show only to themselves, which means you won't see it no matter where you look. Others share it only with close friends or family. If someone's birthday doesn't appear on their profile, they have intentionally hidden it from your view.
Key Takeaways
- The Events section on Facebook shows all your friends' upcoming birthdays organized by month, and you can access it from the left sidebar menu.
- Individual birthdays appear on a person's profile page near their basic information, but only if they chose to make that information visible to you.
- You can set reminders for specific birthdays by clicking on the birthday event, which sends you a notification on that day.
- If a birthday doesn't show up, the person has chosen to keep it private, and there is no way to see it through Facebook.
Using the Events calendar to see all birthdays at once
Open Facebook and look at the left sidebar. You should see a menu with options like Home, Friends, and Groups. Scroll down until you find "Events" — it usually appears near the bottom of the sidebar. Click on Events and you'll land on a page showing upcoming events and birthdays organized by date.
Once you're in the Events section, look for a filter or tab labeled "Birthdays." Click it to show only birthday events, filtering out concerts, parties, and other calendar items. Facebook will display all your friends' birthdays in chronological order. You can scroll through the list to see who has a birthday coming up this month or next month.
If you want to narrow it down further, some versions of Facebook let you filter by month. Look for month tabs or a calendar view at the top of the page. This is especially useful if you're trying to remember who has a birthday in a specific month — just click that month and you'll see everyone's birthdays for that time period.
Finding a specific person's birthday on their profile
Search for the person's name using Facebook's search bar at the top of the page. Type their name and click on their profile from the results. Once you're on their profile, look for a section labeled "About" or "Basic Information." This section usually appears on the left side of their profile or below their cover photo, depending on which version of Facebook you're using.
Scroll through the About section until you see "Birthday" listed. The date will appear in the format Month Day, Year — for example, "March 15, 1990." If you don't see a birthday listed at all, that person has chosen not to share it on Facebook. You cannot view hidden birthdays, even if you're close friends with that person.
On mobile, the process is similar but the layout is slightly different. Open the person's profile, tap the "About" tab, and scroll down to find birthday information. The information appears in the same format as on desktop.
Setting birthday reminders so you don't forget
When you see a birthday in your Events calendar or on someone's profile, you can set a reminder. Click on the birthday event itself — it will open a small popup or detail page. Look for an option that says "Get Notified" or a bell icon. Click it and Facebook will send you a notification on that person's birthday.
By default, Facebook sends birthday reminders on the day of the birthday, usually in the morning. You can't customize the time of the reminder through Facebook's settings, but the notification will appear in your notifications feed and you may also receive an email reminder depending on your notification settings.
If you want to turn off birthday reminders entirely, you can adjust this in your notification settings. Go to Settings, then Notifications, and look for an option related to birthdays. You can toggle birthday reminders on or off from there.
Why some birthdays don't show up
Facebook allows users to control who sees their birthday information. Someone might set their birthday to be visible only to themselves, which means it won't appear anywhere on Facebook for other people to see. They might also choose to hide the year they were born while keeping the month and day visible, or hide it from everyone except close friends.
Privacy settings for birthdays are found in each person's profile settings, not in a central location you can access. If a friend's birthday isn't showing up, they made that choice intentionally. There's no workaround or way to see hidden birthday information — Facebook respects those privacy settings completely.
Some older accounts or accounts that were created before Facebook made birthday sharing a standard feature might not have birthday information on file at all. In those cases, the person simply never entered their birthday into Facebook.
Viewing birthdays on the Facebook mobile app
The mobile app works the same way as the desktop version, but the menu layout is different. Open the Facebook app and tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the bottom right of the screen. Scroll down and tap "Events." From there, look for a "Birthdays" filter or tab to see all upcoming birthdays organized by date.
To find a specific person's birthday on mobile, search for their name, open their profile, and tap "About." Scroll down to find their birthday information. The process is identical to desktop — you're just using a smaller screen and a different navigation menu.
If you're having trouble finding the Events section on mobile, it might be hidden in the "More" menu. Tap the three-line menu icon, scroll all the way down, and look for "See More" or "More." Tap that and you should see Events listed there.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I see someone's birthday if they set it to private?
No. If someone has hidden their birthday from you, there is no way to see it through Facebook. Their privacy setting is final — you cannot override it or find a workaround. If you need to know their birthday, you would have to ask them directly outside of Facebook.
Will someone know if I look at their birthday on Facebook?
No. Looking at someone's birthday information on their profile or in your Events calendar does not send them a notification. Facebook does not track or report when you view someone's birthday. You can check birthdays without anyone knowing.
Can I export a list of all my friends' birthdays?
Facebook does not have a built-in feature to export birthdays as a file or list. You can view them in the Events calendar or take screenshots, but there is no official download or export option. Some third-party tools claim to do this, but they require you to give them access to your Facebook account, which carries privacy risks.
What if Facebook isn't showing me birthday notifications?
Check your notification settings. Go to Settings, then Notifications, and search for birthday-related options. Make sure birthday notifications are turned on. Also check that notifications are enabled for Facebook in your phone's settings — if you've blocked Facebook notifications at the system level, you won't see any reminders even if they're turned on in Facebook itself.
Do I have to share my birthday on Facebook?
No. You can create a Facebook account without entering your birthday, or you can enter it and then hide it from everyone. Go to your profile, click "About," find the birthday field, and adjust your privacy settings to control who sees it. You have complete control over whether your birthday is visible.