how to find birthdays on facebook

Facebook can be really handy when it comes to knowing when your friends' birthdays are. However, it can be difficult to figure out where to find the information you need; especially since it's a different process on your computer than through the app on your phone.

Have you ever been scrolling through your newsfeed one day and noticed that you missed a friend's birthday only because other people were posting happy birthday wishes on their wall? Just because Facebook gives you access to peoples' birthdays doesn't mean that you will always see those events and remember them. Use these tips to learn how to better use Facebook and other tools (like your Apple, Google, Microsoft Office or Circles Calendar) to your advantage to be a better friend.

How to change your Facebook birthday settings on your computer:

Go to facebook.com and sign into your account if you haven't already
Go to your profile
Click "About" section
Under overview, click your birthday ("Edit your contact and basic info")
Scroll down to "Basic Information"
Put cursor over your birthday and click "edit"
You can change your birthdate and then save the changes
OR if you want to change who can see your birthday

- - Click the box on the right hand side with outlines of people on it or the box with a lock in it
  - Select which setting you want for who can see your birthday
  - "Save Changes"

How to change your Facebook birthday settings on the app:

Click the three horizontal lines on the bottom right hand corner of the screen
Click your name ("See Your Profile")
Click the three dots that says "See Your About Info"
Scroll down to "Basic Info" section and click "Edit"
Under "Birthday" you can edit the date or change who can see your birthday

- - Click the box with outlines of people on it or the box with a lock on it to change who can see your birthday

How to see birthdays on Facebook on your computer:

Make sure you're on your main feed – click "Home" on the top right corner of your screen to ensure this
On the left hand side of your feed, under "Explore" click "Events"
On the left hand side under "Events" click "Birthdays"
Now you can scroll through and see "Today's Birthdays," "Recent Birthdays," and "Upcoming Birthdays"

How to find where birthdays are on the Facebook app:

The only way to see birthdays on the app is by searching that person's name and going to their profile
Once on their profile, click their "About Info"
If they've enabled their Facebook friends or the public to see their birthday then you should be able to see it

How to download birthdays off of Facebook on your computer:

It is extremely difficult (maybe impossible) to download your friend's birthday information from Facebook because of many data privacy concerns. This trend of closing users off from information like birthdays that can serve as a foundation to nurturing your relationships with others is only going to continue as data privacy concerns gain popularity. You need an app where you can control the information you know about the important people in your life. Circles is the perfect app for you (click to see more about Circles).

On your "Home" page click "Events" on the left hand side of your screen
Stay on the "Events" tab and scroll all the way down until you see this box on the bottom of the right hand side of the screen

Click "Upcoming Events" to download your Facebook events
You are then able to uploadthe Facebook Upcoming Events iCALfile to your Apple, Google, or Microsoft Outlook Calendar

How to download birthdays off of the Facebook app:

Unfortunately, you are not able to download your list of birthdays off of the Facebook app to your phone. In order to get that list, you will have to do it from a desktop computer (see above instructions for how to do that).

How to keep track of Facebook birthdays:

It is very helpful that Facebook allows your friends to let you see their birthdays but it can be extremely hard to keep track of all of those events! The best way to not lose track or miss birthdays would be to:

Check Facebook everyday for birthdays
Download and import your Facebook Events to your Apple, Google, or Microsoft Outlook Calendar
Use the Circles app! Circles is a free app to help you keep track of your friends, including their birthdays and notes about what they like. You use Circles by uploading your contacts to the app from your iOS or Android phone. You then can set reminders for their birthdays and other important events in their lives so that you never miss another birthday again.

Facebook doesn't give enough notice for birthdays. For the people you really care about, you'll want to do more than just post a generic "Happy birthday!" on their wall. Circles helps you keep all of your birthday notifications in one place. With Circles you can choose how far in advance you want notifications for each upcoming birthday so that you can have plenty of time to prepare the perfect gift.