How to Change Your Birthdate on Facebook

Entered the wrong birthday when you signed up, or maybe you just want to update it to reflect accurate information? Facebook does allow you to edit your birthdate — but there are a few important rules, limits, and platform differences worth knowing before you start.

Why Facebook Restricts Birthdate Changes

Facebook treats your birthdate as a core piece of identity information. Unlike your username or profile photo, you can't change it freely and repeatedly. Facebook limits how often you can edit this field — typically allowing only a small number of changes before locking it down. This is part of their effort to reduce fake accounts and identity misrepresentation.

That means if you've already changed your birthdate once or twice, you may hit a restriction and need to request a manual review. More on that below.

How to Change Your Birthday on Facebook (Mobile App)

The mobile experience varies slightly between iOS and Android, but the general path is the same:

1. Open the Facebook app and tap your profile picture in the top-left corner to go to your profile.
2. Tap Edit Profile (or the pencil icon near your profile details).
3. Scroll down to find the Basic Info or Details section.
4. Tap on your current birthdate to open the edit field.
5. Update the day, month, and year using the selectors provided.
6. Tap Save.

Facebook may ask you to confirm the change, especially if you've edited this field before.

How to Change Your Birthday on Facebook (Desktop/Browser)

If you prefer using Facebook on a computer:

1. Go to facebook.com and log in.
2. Click your profile name or picture in the top navigation to open your profile.
3. Click Edit Profile, then scroll to find the About section — or navigate directly to the About tab on your profile page.
4. Click Contact and basic info from the left-side menu within the About section.
5. Find the Birthday field and click the Edit (pencil) icon next to it.
6. Update your birth day, month, and year.
7. Click Save Changes.

Controlling Who Sees Your Birthday 🎂

Facebook separates two things: your full birthdate (day, month, and year) and the display setting for who can see it. When editing, you'll usually see visibility options like:

You can show your month and day to friends while keeping your birth year private — a common preference for people who want birthday wishes without sharing their exact age.

What If Facebook Won't Let You Edit Your Birthday?

If the edit option is greyed out or you get an error when trying to save, it usually means you've reached the change limit Facebook enforces. At that point, you have two options:

Option 1 — Submit a birthday change request. Facebook has a support pathway for this. Go to Settings → Help & Support → Report a Problem or search for "change birthday" within Facebook's Help Center. You may be asked to verify your identity before the change is approved.

Option 2 — Request via the Help Center directly. Facebook's Help Center includes a form specifically for birthday corrections, sometimes requiring you to provide ID documentation if the discrepancy is significant or if your account has a history of edits.

Turnaround time for manual requests varies — it can range from a few days to over a week, depending on Facebook's review queue.

Age Restrictions and What They Mean

Facebook requires users to be at least 13 years old. If an edit results in an age below 13, Facebook may flag or restrict the account. Similarly, if the new birthdate significantly changes your apparent age in a way that seems suspicious to their systems, it can trigger additional verification steps.

This is especially relevant if you're correcting a genuinely wrong date — for example, if you accidentally entered the wrong year when creating your account years ago. Facebook's support team generally handles these cases, but documentation may be required.

Privacy Considerations Worth Knowing 🔒

Your birthdate is one of the most commonly used pieces of data in identity verification — on banking sites, government portals, and security questions. A few things to keep in mind:

• Hiding your birth year from your public profile is generally a good privacy practice.
• Your full date of birth is still stored by Facebook even if it isn't publicly visible — it's used internally for age-appropriate content filtering.
• Third-party apps connected to your Facebook account may have accessed your birthdate previously, and changing it on Facebook won't automatically update what those apps have stored.

The Variables That Affect Your Experience

Whether this process takes 30 seconds or several days depends on a handful of factors unique to your account:

• How many times you've already changed it — first-time edits are usually instant; repeat edits may be blocked
• The version of the Facebook app you're running — outdated versions occasionally have UI differences or bugs in the edit flow
• Whether your account has any active restrictions from Facebook's trust and safety systems
• Your account age and activity history — older, established accounts tend to have smoother experiences with this kind of edit
• Whether you're using a personal profile or a linked Page — Page settings work differently from personal profile settings

The straightforward path — open, edit, save — works for most people. But if you run into friction, your account's specific history with this field is likely the reason why.