How to change your relationship status on Facebook
To change your relationship status on Facebook, go to your profile, click the "About" tab, find the "Relationship" section, and click "Edit." Select your new status from the dropdown menu — single, in a relationship, engaged, married, in a domestic partnership, in a civil union, or it's complicated. You can choose whether to make this visible to everyone, friends only, or keep it private. Facebook will not notify your contacts automatically, but depending on your privacy settings, the change may appear in their news feeds.
The process takes about 30 seconds. If you do not see a "Relationship" section on your About page, it may be hidden — scroll down to find it, or click "Edit" next to any visible section to reveal more options. You can also add a relationship anniversary date, which Facebook will then remind you about each year.
Key Takeaways
- Your relationship status change may show up in friends' news feeds depending on your privacy settings, so choose your visibility level before saving.
- You can set your relationship status to private so only you see it, or make it visible to friends or everyone.
- If you list a partner, you can request to link your profiles — they must confirm the link before it appears on either profile.
- Changing your status does not automatically notify the other person; you will need to tell them separately if you want them to know.
Where to find the relationship section on your profile
Open Facebook and go to your profile by clicking your name or profile picture. Look for the "About" tab below your cover photo — it sits between "Posts" and "Friends." Click "About" to open your profile information page.
Scroll down until you see the "Relationship" section. If it is not visible, click the pencil icon next to any section header to edit that section, or look for an "Edit" button near the top of the About page. On mobile, the layout is similar but the menu may be condensed — tap the three dots menu if you cannot find the About tab.
Choosing who can see your relationship status
When you click "Edit" next to your relationship status, Facebook shows you a privacy dropdown next to your selection. The options are usually "Public" (everyone can see it), "Friends" (only your friends see it), or a custom setting. Choose the level that matches what you are comfortable with.
Keep in mind that even if you set your relationship status to private, the change itself may still appear in your activity log, which friends can sometimes see depending on other privacy settings. If you want the change to be completely invisible, set it to private before you save. You can change the privacy level anytime without notifying anyone.
Linking your profile to a partner's profile
When you select "In a relationship" and type your partner's name, Facebook will suggest their profile. If you click their name to link it, Facebook sends them a notification asking them to confirm the relationship. Until they confirm, the link appears only on your profile, not theirs.
Your partner can accept, decline, or ignore the request. If they accept, the relationship appears on both profiles. If they decline, the link is removed from your profile. You can unlink a profile anytime by editing your relationship status again and removing their name — this does not notify them, but the change will show in their activity if they look.
What happens when you change your status
Depending on your privacy settings, your relationship status change may appear in your friends' news feeds as a story — for example, "Sarah is now in a relationship." This happens automatically and you cannot turn it off for a single change, but you can control who sees it by adjusting the privacy level before you save.
If you change your status back to single or to a different relationship status, the same visibility rules apply. Facebook does not send direct notifications to specific people; the change only shows up if someone happens to see it in their feed or visits your profile. If you want your partner or close friends to know, you will need to tell them yourself.
Adding an anniversary date to your relationship
When you edit your relationship status, you can also add an anniversary date. Click "Add anniversary" or look for a date field below the status dropdown. Enter the month and day (or full date if you want to include the year). Facebook will remind you about the anniversary each year and may suggest you share a memory or post about it.
You can set the anniversary to be visible only to you, to friends, or to everyone — the privacy setting for the anniversary is separate from the privacy setting for your relationship status itself. You can edit or remove the anniversary anytime without affecting your relationship status.
Changing your status back or updating it later
You can change your relationship status as many times as you need to. There is no limit on how often you can edit it, and each change follows the same process: go to About, click Edit next to Relationship, select your new status, and choose your privacy level.
If you had linked your profile to a partner's and you change your status to single, the link is automatically removed from both profiles. If you change to a different relationship status (like engaged or married) while still linked to the same person, the link stays in place and updates to reflect the new status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my partner get a notification when I change my relationship status?
Not automatically. If you link your profile to theirs, they get a notification asking them to confirm the relationship. But if you simply change your status without linking anyone, they will not be notified — they will only see it if they visit your profile or if it appears in their news feed.
Can I hide my relationship status from certain people?
You can set it to private (visible only to you), friends only, or public. Facebook does not let you hide it from specific people while showing it to others. If you need that level of control, set it to private and tell people individually.
What does "it's complicated" mean on Facebook?
It is a relationship status option that some people use when their relationship does not fit neatly into the other categories. Facebook treats it the same as any other status — you can set it to any privacy level, and you can link it to another person's profile if you want.
If I unlink my partner's profile, will they know?
They will not get a notification, but if they visit your profile or check their own, they will see the link is gone. The change may also appear in their activity log depending on their privacy settings.
Can I change my relationship status on mobile the same way?
Yes. Open the Facebook app, go to your profile, tap "About," scroll to "Relationship," and tap "Edit." The process is the same as on a computer, though the layout may look slightly different on a smaller screen.