You can remove your birthday from Facebook entirely, or hide it so only you can see it
Facebook stores your birthday in your profile, and by default shows it to your friends on their calendar and in notifications. You have three options: delete the birthday completely, hide it from everyone except yourself, or change who can see it. The process takes less than a minute and happens in your profile settings, not in a separate privacy menu.
Most people choose to hide their birthday rather than delete it, because Facebook uses the date for account recovery and age-gating certain features. If you delete it entirely, you can always add it back later.
Key Takeaways
- You can hide your birthday from all friends while keeping it on file, or remove it from Facebook entirely.
- The birthday setting lives in your profile information, accessible through the menu at the top right of Facebook.
- Changing the visibility takes effect immediately — Facebook does not send notifications when you hide your birthday.
- If you delete your birthday and later need it for account recovery, you can add it back anytime.
How to hide your birthday from everyone
Open Facebook and click the downward arrow at the top right of the screen. Select Settings and privacy, then Settings. On the left side, click Personal information. You will see a section labeled Basic information — click on it.
Find the line that says Birthday. Click the eye icon or privacy button next to it. A menu will appear with options like Public, Friends, or Only me. Select Only me. Your birthday will now be invisible to everyone except you, but it remains stored in your account.
If you do not see a privacy button next to your birthday, click the birthday field itself to open the edit screen, where the privacy option will appear below the date.
How to delete your birthday completely
Follow the same path: top right arrow, Settings and privacy, Settings, Personal information, Basic information. Find your birthday and click on it to open the edit screen.
Delete the month, day, and year fields entirely — leave them blank. Click Save or Done. Your birthday will no longer appear anywhere on your profile or in Facebook's systems. You can add it back at any time by returning to this screen and entering the date again.
What happens when you hide or delete your birthday
If you hide your birthday (set it to Only me), Facebook will not show it in birthday reminders to your friends, and it will not appear on your profile timeline. You will still receive birthday wishes from people who have your birthday saved in their phone contacts and sync them to Facebook. The date remains on file for account recovery purposes.
If you delete your birthday entirely, Facebook removes it from all systems. You lose the ability to use it for account recovery, though you can still recover your account using your email or phone number. Deleting your birthday does not affect your account security or any other features.
Controlling who sees your birthday on mobile
On the Facebook app for iPhone or Android, tap the three horizontal lines at the bottom right (iPhone) or top right (Android). Scroll down and tap Settings and privacy, then Settings. Tap Personal information, then Basic information. Tap your birthday to edit it, and use the privacy selector to choose Only me or delete the date.
The mobile app works identically to the desktop version — the privacy settings sync across all devices, so a change on your phone appears on your computer immediately.
If you share a birthday with someone else on your friends list
Hiding or deleting your birthday does not affect other people's birthdays. If a friend has the same birthday as you and keeps theirs visible, their birthday will still show up in birthday reminders and on their profile. Your privacy setting only controls your own birthday.
If you want to prevent Facebook from suggesting you as a friend to people based on shared birthdays, hiding your birthday will accomplish that — Facebook uses visible birthdays to surface connection suggestions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my friends know I hid my birthday?
No. Facebook does not notify people when you change your birthday privacy settings. Your friends will simply stop seeing your birthday in their reminders and on your profile. If they already know your birthday from other sources, hiding it on Facebook does not change that.
Can I hide my birthday from some friends but not others?
Facebook does not offer granular birthday privacy controls. You can only choose between Public (everyone), Friends (all friends), or Only me (no one). If you need to hide your birthday from specific people, your only option is to set it to Only me for everyone.
What if I deleted my birthday and now need it for account recovery?
You can add your birthday back anytime by going to Settings > Personal information > Basic information and entering the date. Facebook will accept it immediately. You can also recover your account using your email address or phone number without your birthday.
Does hiding my birthday affect my age on Facebook?
No. Your age is calculated from your birthday regardless of the privacy setting. Hiding your birthday only controls who can see it — it does not change how Facebook uses the date internally for age verification or age-restricted features.
Can I set my birthday to private after I've already shared it?
Yes. Changing your birthday privacy setting retroactively hides it from everyone going forward, even if people saw it before. Past birthday reminders that were already sent cannot be recalled, but future reminders will not be generated.