How to Remove Your Birthday from Facebook: A Step-by-Step Guide
Facebook, the social media giant, connects billions worldwide. While sharing life events like birthdays can be fun, many users prefer to keep this information private. Whether it’s for privacy concerns, security reasons, or simply personal preference, removing your birthday from your Facebook profile is a straightforward process. This comprehensive guide provides detailed steps and instructions to help you remove or hide your birthday from Facebook on various devices.
Why Remove Your Birthday from Facebook?
Before diving into the how-to, let’s explore why you might want to remove your birthday from Facebook:
* **Privacy Concerns:** Sharing your birthday publicly can make you vulnerable to identity theft. Scammers can use this information, along with other publicly available details, to impersonate you or gain access to your accounts.
* **Security Reasons:** Knowing your birthday allows hackers to guess or crack your passwords more easily. Limiting the amount of personal information available online enhances your overall security.
* **Personal Preference:** Some users simply don’t want the influx of birthday greetings or prefer to keep their age private.
* **Avoiding Targeted Advertising:** While Facebook uses a vast array of data for ad targeting, your birthday can be another data point used to personalize advertisements. Removing it might reduce some of the highly targeted ads you see.
* **Simplicity:** Some people find the constant stream of birthday notifications overwhelming and prefer a simpler, less cluttered Facebook experience.
Methods to Remove or Hide Your Birthday on Facebook
There are two primary ways to manage your birthday information on Facebook:
1. **Remove Your Birthday Entirely:** This option completely removes your birthday from your profile. No one will see it, including your friends.
2. **Hide Your Birthday from the Public:** This option allows you to keep your birthday on your profile but control who can see it. You can choose to show it only to yourself, your friends, or a custom list of people.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Removing Your Birthday (Desktop)
Follow these steps to remove your birthday from Facebook using a computer:
1. **Log into Your Facebook Account:** Open your web browser and go to Facebook.com. Enter your email address or phone number and password, then click “Log In.”
2. **Navigate to Your Profile:** Once logged in, click on your name or profile picture in the top left corner of the screen. This will take you to your profile page.
3. **Access Your “About” Section:** On your profile page, look for the tabs below your cover photo. Click on the “About” tab. If you don’t see it, you might have to click on “More” to reveal additional tabs.
4. **Go to “Contact and Basic Info”:** In the “About” section, find the category called “Contact and Basic Info” in the left-hand sidebar. Click on it.
5. **Edit Your Birthday:** Scroll down to the “Birthday” section. You’ll see two dropdown menus: one for the day and one for the month. Hover your mouse over the birthday information. An “Edit” button will appear on the right side of the section. Click on it.
6. **Remove the Birthday Information:** In the edit mode, change both the “Day” and “Month” fields to “–“. This effectively removes the birthday information from your profile. Some older versions of Facebook might require you to select a blank option or a null value. Make sure both fields are cleared.
7. **Save Your Changes:** After removing the birthday information, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the “Save Changes” button. Your birthday will now be removed from your Facebook profile.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Hiding Your Birthday (Desktop)
Follow these steps to hide your birthday from the public while keeping it on your profile:
1. **Log into Your Facebook Account:** Open your web browser and go to Facebook.com. Enter your email address or phone number and password, then click “Log In.”
2. **Navigate to Your Profile:** Click on your name or profile picture in the top left corner to go to your profile page.
3. **Access Your “About” Section:** On your profile page, click on the “About” tab below your cover photo. If you don’t see it, check under “More.”
4. **Go to “Contact and Basic Info”:** In the “About” section, click on “Contact and Basic Info” in the left-hand sidebar.
5. **Edit Your Birthday:** Scroll down to the “Birthday” section and hover your mouse over the birthday information. Click the “Edit” button that appears.
6. **Adjust the Privacy Settings:**
* **Birthday (Day and Month):** Next to the birthday (day and month), you’ll see a dropdown menu. This menu controls who can see your birthday. Click on it and choose one of the following options:
* **Public:** Anyone on or off Facebook can see your birthday.
* **Friends:** Only your Facebook friends can see your birthday.
* **Only Me:** Only you can see your birthday.
* **Custom:** Allows you to specify certain friends or lists who can see your birthday.
* **Birth Year:** Below the birthday (day and month), you’ll see the birth year. It has its own privacy setting. You can choose to show or hide your age. Selecting “Only Me” here will prevent your age from being displayed.
7. **Save Your Changes:** After selecting your desired privacy settings, scroll down and click the “Save Changes” button. Your birthday will now be visible only to the people you’ve specified.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Removing Your Birthday (Mobile App – Android and iOS)
The steps for removing your birthday on the Facebook mobile app are similar for both Android and iOS devices:
1. **Open the Facebook App:** Launch the Facebook app on your smartphone or tablet. Make sure you’re logged in to your account.
2. **Access the Menu:** Tap on the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right corner (Android) or bottom right corner (iOS) of the screen.
3. **Go to Your Profile:** Scroll down in the menu and tap on your name or profile picture. This will take you to your profile page.
4. **Tap “See Your About Info”:** On your profile page, scroll down until you see the button labeled “See Your About Info.” Tap on it.
5. **Scroll Down to “Basic Info”:** Scroll down through your “About” information until you find the section called “Basic Info.”
6. **Edit Your Basic Info:** Tap on the “Edit” button located to the right of the “Basic Info” section.
7. **Remove the Birthday Information:** Scroll down to the “Birthday” section. Tap on the dropdown menus for “Day” and “Month” and select the blank option, represented as “–” . This removes the values.
8. **Save Your Changes:** Scroll to the bottom and tap “Save.” Your birthday is now removed from your profile.
Step-by-Step Instructions: Hiding Your Birthday (Mobile App – Android and iOS)
Follow these steps to hide your birthday on the Facebook mobile app (Android and iOS):
1. **Open the Facebook App:** Launch the Facebook app on your smartphone or tablet and log in.
2. **Access the Menu:** Tap on the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right corner (Android) or bottom right corner (iOS).
3. **Go to Your Profile:** Tap on your name or profile picture in the menu to go to your profile page.
4. **Tap “See Your About Info”:** Scroll down and tap the “See Your About Info” button.
5. **Scroll Down to “Basic Info”:** Scroll down to the “Basic Info” section.
6. **Edit Your Basic Info:** Tap the “Edit” button next to “Basic Info.”
7. **Adjust the Privacy Settings:**
* **Birthday (Day and Month):** Locate the birthday (day and month) section. Tap on the privacy dropdown menu next to it. Choose one of the following options:
* **Public:** Anyone can see your birthday.
* **Friends:** Only your friends can see your birthday.
* **Only Me:** Only you can see your birthday.
* **Specific Friends:** Choose specific friends to share with.
* **Friends Except…:** Exclude specific friends from seeing it.
* **Birth Year:** Locate the birth year section below the birthday. Tap on the privacy dropdown menu next to it and select your desired privacy level. “Only Me” will hide your age.
8. **Save Your Changes:** Scroll to the bottom and tap “Save.” Your birthday is now visible only to the people you’ve chosen.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
* **”Save Changes” Button is Greyed Out:** Make sure you’ve actually made changes to your birthday settings. If you haven’t modified anything, the “Save Changes” button will be disabled.
* **Birthday Still Visible After Removing:** Clear your browser’s cache and cookies. Sometimes, old data can be stored, causing the birthday to appear even after you’ve removed it. Also, check that you cleared *both* the day/month and the year.
* **Privacy Settings Not Updating:** Restart the Facebook app or log out and log back in. This can help refresh the app and ensure that your changes are applied.
* **Can’t Find the “About” Section:** On mobile, ensure you are viewing *your* profile and not someone else’s. The option to edit your “About” information only appears on your own profile.
* **Older Versions of Facebook:** The interface and wording might be slightly different on older versions of Facebook. Look for similar options like “Basic Information” or “Edit Profile.” If struggling, consider updating your Facebook app or browser.
Additional Tips for Privacy on Facebook
Removing or hiding your birthday is just one step towards enhancing your privacy on Facebook. Here are some additional tips:
* **Review Your Privacy Settings Regularly:** Facebook’s privacy settings can change over time. It’s a good idea to review them periodically to ensure they align with your preferences.
* **Control Who Can See Your Posts:** Adjust the audience selector on your posts to limit who can see them. You can choose “Public,” “Friends,” “Friends Except…,” or “Only Me.”
* **Limit Friend Requests:** You can control who can send you friend requests in your privacy settings.
* **Disable Location Services:** Prevent Facebook from tracking your location by disabling location services in your phone’s settings.
* **Review App Permissions:** Check which apps have access to your Facebook data and remove any that you no longer use or trust.
* **Use Strong Passwords:** Choose a strong, unique password for your Facebook account and enable two-factor authentication for added security.
* **Be Mindful of What You Share:** Think twice before sharing personal information online. Consider the potential consequences of making certain details public.
* **Manage Tagging:** Adjust your tagging settings to review posts you’re tagged in before they appear on your timeline.
* **Use Facebook’s Privacy Checkup:** Facebook offers a privacy checkup tool that guides you through your privacy settings and helps you make informed decisions.
Conclusion
Removing or hiding your birthday from Facebook is a simple yet effective way to protect your privacy and security. By following the step-by-step instructions in this guide, you can easily manage your birthday information and control who can see it. Remember to review your privacy settings regularly and be mindful of the information you share online. Taking these precautions will help you enjoy Facebook while minimizing the risks associated with sharing personal data.
