- What's on show and what stays hidden
- What you can change, and the two things you can't
- Photos: the hard rules and Facebook's softer tips
- Why Facebook may ask for a video selfie
- Your Dating location and match settings
- Who else may be shown your profile
- Taking the profile down
- How I'd shape mine
- Frequently asked questions
A Facebook Dating profile holds your photos and prompts, your Dating location and whatever extras you choose to add, such as height, work and education, lifestyle and beliefs. Facebook says you can add up to 12 photos and prompts, at least one photo must show you with your face visible, and you can't change your name or age inside Dating.
This page is about the profile once it exists: what other daters see, what stays hidden, what you can and can't edit, and why Facebook sometimes asks for a video selfie. If you haven't built one yet, setting up Facebook Dating for the first time is the place to start. Everything here comes from Facebook's own Help Centre as of Nov 2026, and Dating only runs in the Facebook app for Android or iPhone, so every step below happens on your phone.
What's on show and what stays hidden
Facebook lets you choose which extra details to include. The examples it gives are:
- Height
- Work and education
- Lifestyle
- Other beliefs
- Photos and prompts
Some things show whether you like it or not, and some never show. Your Dating location is visible on your profile; Facebook repeats that warning in two separate Help articles. Your gender identity, and the gender identities you'd like to match with, aren't visible on your profile. Those settings shape who you're suggested to, but other daters don't see them written down.
Nothing you edit in Dating changes your main Facebook profile either. Facebook says changes to your Dating profile don't appear there, so you can use different photos or a different tone without touching the profile your clients and colleagues see.
What you can change, and the two things you can't
| Part of the profile | Can you change it? | What Facebook says |
|---|---|---|
| Name and age | No, not in Dating | You can't change some things, such as your name and age, in Dating |
| Photos and prompts | Yes | Up to 12 in total; at least one photo of you with your face visible; tap and hold to reorder |
| Height, work and education, lifestyle, beliefs | Yes | Optional extras you choose to share |
| Dating location | Yes, when you update it | Visible on your profile; moving doesn't update it for you |
| Gender identity and who you want to match | Yes, in your settings | Not visible on your profile |
Facebook's Help doesn't offer a way round the name and age lock, so treat both as fixed once you're in Dating.
To edit everything else, as of Nov 2026:
- From the Facebook app, tap Menu in the top left, then tap Dating.
- Tap Profile in the top right, then tap Dating profile.
- Tap the Edit profile tab.
- Scroll down and tap the category you want to update.
- Tap any item to add or change the information.
- Tap Save in the top right.
To reorder photos and prompts, tap and hold one, then move it to the position you want. The first photo carries the most weight, which brings us to Facebook's photo rules.
Photos: the hard rules and Facebook's softer tips
There are two kinds of photo guidance, and it pays to keep them apart. The rules: at least one photo must be of you with your face visible; no photo of an unaccompanied minor; no photo of an unclothed minor; and Facebook says to post a photo of yourself before you post photos of other people. It also warns that it may remove your profile, or ask you to verify it, if it thinks you might be misrepresenting yourself.
The tips are softer. Facebook suggests:
- A photo of just you as your primary photo, with your face clearly shown.
- Clear photos taken in well-lit places.
- Photos of you doing things you love, so people learn about your hobbies and interests.
- Photos someone else took of you, not only selfies.
If you're stuck choosing, Facebook's Help gives a self-check. Paraphrased, it asks: are you the main focus, can people clearly see your face, have you got more than selfies, is the lighting good, is the photo blurry, have you got a few shots of your hobbies, does it reflect who you are, and would it help start a conversation?
That last question is my favourite. It's the same test I'd put to any profile photo a business owner uses: does it give the other person something to say?
Why Facebook may ask for a video selfie
Facebook says that to help keep the community safe, it may ask you to verify your Dating profile. If you need to, a prompt shows when you open Dating, and you can't use Dating until you've verified.
Verification is a video selfie, done by following the on-screen instructions. The selfie must match a photo on your profile. Once you've submitted it, you can close Dating, then check your notifications for updates on the selfie verification.
Because the selfie has to match a photo on your profile, it makes sense to keep at least one recent, clear photo of your face on there. That's the same photo Facebook's tips already push you towards, so the two pieces of advice line up.
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Your Dating location and match settings
Your primary Dating location is where you first signed up, and it only updates when you choose. Moving doesn't change it, which can trigger a location mismatch message. To check or change it, as of Nov 2026: from the Facebook app tap Menu, then Dating, tap Profile in the top right, tap Dating preferences, then Dating location, and tap Update.
The same Dating preferences screen holds the qualities you want in a match: age, gender identity, distance from you and more. Facebook says you can change those at any time: tap the section, make your changes and tap Save in the top right.
If Dating keeps complaining about your location after a move, these Facebook Dating fixes go further than I can here.
Who else may be shown your profile
One newer feature widens who sees your profile. Facebook's dating assistant, which is being introduced gradually, shows people other daters' profiles in answer to a request, and others may be shown yours. Facebook's own example is someone asking for a person from their hometown who enjoys being outdoors.
Not all profile information is used. The fields Facebook names as available to the assistant include job, education level, height, stated age, location, interests, languages and zodiac sign. So the optional details you fill in aren't just decoration: they're what the assistant searches. Your messages with other daters stay private, Facebook says.
Taking the profile down
You can delete your Dating profile without deleting your Facebook account, but deleting Facebook takes the Dating profile with it. Deleting removes your Dating profile, answers, likes, matches and conversations, though it doesn't remove messages from the other person's inbox. Afterwards, you can't make a new Dating profile for seven days. Turning off Facebook Dating has the steps.
How I'd shape mine
I'd fill in the extras that describe you, because the dating assistant can only work with fields that exist, and I'd keep one clear, recent, well-lit photo of your face near the top so a verification request is painless. I'd check the Dating location after any move, since it's on show and won't update itself. I'd skip anything you wouldn't want seen alongside that location, and I'd skip deleting the profile in frustration: you'd wait seven days to start again, and Facebook gives no way to change your name or age in Dating anyway.
If you want the full set, start at the Facebook Help: 80 Guides to Pages, Groups, Ads, Stories and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
How many photos can you add to a Facebook Dating profile?
Facebook says you can add up to 12 photos and prompts, and at least one photo must be of you with your face visible.
Can I change my name on Facebook Dating?
Facebook says you can't change some things, such as your name and age, in Dating.
Can people see my location on Facebook Dating?
Yes. Facebook says your Dating location is visible on your Dating profile, and it doesn't update when you move unless you change it.
Does editing my Dating profile change my Facebook profile?
No. Facebook says changes you make to your Dating profile don't appear on your main Facebook profile.
What happens if Facebook asks me to verify my Dating profile?
You can't use Dating until you verify. Follow the on-screen instructions to submit a video selfie, which must match a photo on your profile, then check your notifications for updates.
