Where to find birthdays on Facebook

Facebook stores birthday information in two places: on individual profiles and in a dedicated birthday calendar. To see someone's birthday on their profile, visit their page and look for the birthday listed in the "About" section — it appears below their relationship status and other personal details. The exact location depends on their privacy settings; if they've hidden their birthday from you, you won't see it at all.

The faster way to see all upcoming birthdays at once is through Facebook's birthday calendar. On the left side of your News Feed, scroll down until you see "Events" and click it. At the top of the Events page, you'll see "Birthdays" as an option. Click that tab and you'll see a list of friends with birthdays coming up in the next 30 days, organized by date.

You can also access birthdays through the Facebook app on your phone. Open the app, tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines), scroll down, and select "Events." Then tap "Birthdays" at the top. The layout is the same as the desktop version.

Key Takeaways

  • Birthdays appear in the "About" section of someone's profile if they've chosen to share them and haven't hidden them from you.
  • The birthday calendar shows all upcoming birthdays in one place and is found under Events in the left sidebar of your News Feed.
  • You can set reminders for specific birthdays by clicking on a person's birthday in the calendar and choosing to get a notification.
  • If someone's birthday doesn't appear, they either haven't added it to their profile or have hidden it from your view.

Using the birthday calendar to stay organized

The birthday calendar is the most practical tool if you want to remember multiple friends' birthdays without checking individual profiles. When you click on a specific date in the calendar, you'll see the names of everyone with a birthday that day. From there, you can click on a person's name to go to their profile and send them a message or post on their wall.

Facebook also sends you notifications on the day of a friend's birthday if you have notifications turned on. These appear as reminders in your News Feed and sometimes as push notifications on your phone. You can control these notifications in your settings — go to Settings, then Notifications, and search for "birthday" to adjust how and when you're reminded.

Why you might not see someone's birthday

If you're looking for a friend's birthday and can't find it, the most common reason is that they haven't added it to their profile. Some people skip this step when creating their account or choose not to share it. Another reason is privacy settings — the person may have hidden their birthday from everyone, from specific people, or from the public.

You can't override someone's privacy choices, so if their birthday is hidden from you, there's no way to see it through Facebook. Your only option is to ask them directly. If you think a birthday should be visible but isn't, double-check that you're looking in the right place: the "About" section of their profile, not their timeline or photos.

Adding or editing your own birthday on Facebook

If you want friends to see your birthday, you need to add it to your profile. Go to your profile, click "Edit profile," and scroll to the "Basic Information" section. Click on the birthday field and enter your date of birth. You can then choose who sees it: only you, your friends, or everyone on Facebook.

After you've added your birthday, it will automatically appear in your friends' birthday calendars on the day you were born each year. You can change your privacy settings for your birthday at any time by going back to the same section and adjusting who can see it. If you want to hide your birthday completely, select "Only me" from the privacy dropdown.

Sending birthday messages and gifts

Once you've found someone's birthday through the calendar, Facebook makes it easy to reach out. On their birthday, you can post a message on their timeline, send them a private message, or use Facebook's birthday gift feature if available in your region. The birthday gift feature lets you send a virtual gift that appears on their profile.

You don't have to wait until the day of their birthday to send a message — you can write something in advance and post it whenever you'd like. Many people post birthday wishes on the actual day, but there's no rule against reaching out a day early or a day late if that works better for you.

Syncing Facebook birthdays with other calendars

If you use Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, or another calendar app, you can sync Facebook birthdays to it so you get reminders outside of Facebook. On a computer, go to the Facebook birthday calendar, look for an export or subscribe option (usually a small calendar icon or link), and follow the prompts to add it to your calendar app. The exact steps vary depending on which calendar service you use.

On mobile, the process is less direct — most calendar apps don't have a built-in Facebook sync option. Your best alternative is to rely on Facebook's own notifications or manually add important birthdays to your phone's calendar app. Some third-party apps claim to sync Facebook birthdays automatically, but these require you to give them access to your Facebook account, which carries privacy risks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see someone's birthday if they've hidden it from me?

No. If someone has set their birthday to private or hidden it from you specifically, Facebook won't show it to you anywhere — not on their profile, not in the birthday calendar, and not through any other method. Your only option is to ask them directly.

Will people know if I look at their birthday?

No. Facebook doesn't notify people when you view their birthday or check their profile. You can look at the birthday calendar and individual profiles without anyone knowing.

How far in advance does the birthday calendar show upcoming birthdays?

The birthday calendar shows birthdays for the next 30 days. If you want to see birthdays further out, you'll need to check individual profiles or use a synced calendar app that shows the full year.

Can I get reminders for birthdays on my phone?

Yes. If you have Facebook notifications turned on, you'll get a reminder on your phone on the day of a friend's birthday. You can customize these notifications in your Facebook settings under Notifications, or set up reminders in your phone's calendar app if you've synced Facebook birthdays to it.

What if someone's birthday shows the wrong date?

If you see an incorrect birthday on someone's profile, you can't change it yourself — only the person who owns the profile can edit their own birthday. If it's your birthday that's wrong, go to your profile, click "Edit profile," and correct the date in the Basic Information section.