To change your birthday on Instagram, go to your profile, tap the Menu in the top right, then Accounts Centre, Profiles and personal details, Birthday (or Date of birth) and Edit. If your Facebook account is in the same Accounts Centre, you change it on Facebook instead, and Instagram limits how many times you can change it at all.
Most people only go looking for this setting when something's gone wrong: a typo at sign-up, a teen account that's now an adult account, or a feature that keeps asking you to confirm your age. The steps are short. The rules around them are what trip people up, and Instagram's own help page is surprisingly blunt about them.
Here's the path on every device, the limits Instagram puts on it, and what to do when the Edit button won't play ball.
Where your date of birth lives now
Your birthday isn't really an Instagram profile field any more. Instagram says it's gradually moving people to Meta Accounts, so depending on your account you'll see either Accounts Centre or Meta Account settings as the place to manage it. Either way, the setting sits under Profiles and personal details, not under Edit profile.
That move matters for one reason: your date of birth now has to match across every profile in your Meta Account. Instagram says that if you add a new profile with a different birthday, you may be asked to pick the accurate one before the new profile can be added.
Step by step on each device
| Where you are | The path Instagram gives |
|---|---|
| Instagram app for iPhone | Profile, Menu (top right), Accounts Centre, Profiles and personal details, Birthday or Date of birth, Edit |
| Instagram app for Android | Profile, Menu (top right), Accounts Centre, Profiles and personal details, Date of birth, Edit |
| Instagram.com on a phone browser | Profile picture (bottom right), Settings (top left), Accounts Centre, Profiles and personal details, Date of birth, Edit |
| Instagram on a computer | More (bottom left), Settings, Accounts Centre, Profiles and personal details, Birthday, Edit |
On the app, the full run looks like this:
- Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
- Tap the Menu in the top right.
- Tap Accounts Centre, then Profiles and personal details.
- Tap Birthday or Date of birth, then tap Edit.
- Enter the correct date and save it.
The limits nobody mentions until you hit them
This is the part that catches people out. Instagram's help page says there's a limit to how many times you can change your date of birth, and if you've changed it recently you may have to wait before you can edit it again. It doesn't publish the number or the waiting period, so treat every change as if it might be your last for a while.
Three more rules from the same page:
- Facebook wins if it's connected. If your Facebook account is in the same Accounts Centre as Instagram, you edit your birthday on Facebook and it changes on Instagram. If they aren't connected, you can edit it directly on Instagram.
- You can't delete it. Once a date of birth has been added to your profile, Instagram says it can't be removed. You can correct it, not clear it.
- It stays private. Your date of birth isn't shared with other people on Instagram, so changing it won't announce anything to your followers.
When the setting won't appear or won't save
Instagram admits that not everyone can reach this setting in Accounts Centre or Meta Account yet. If the steps above don't work for you, its advice is to try updating your date of birth through Edit profile on your profile instead.
If you can see the setting but it won't take your change, you've most likely hit the change limit, and the only fix is to wait. You may also be asked to verify your age, which Instagram says can happen when you try to change your birthday or reach certain experiences across Meta. If you're on a Teen Account, Instagram's support route is Settings, Teen safety settings, Learn more, then Get account support.
If you're not sure which account you used to sign up, it's worth running through how to check whether you already have an Instagram account before you start editing the wrong one.
Why the date matters more than it looks
Your birthday decides which version of Instagram you get. Teen Accounts come with stricter defaults, and some features check your age before they'll open. If you're curious where the lines are, I've covered how old you have to be to have Instagram separately.
Want AI doing the heavy lifting in your marketing?
I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
If you run more than one profile
Because your date of birth is shared across your Meta Account, fixing it in one place can affect your other profiles. If you manage a personal Instagram, a business Instagram and a Facebook profile from the same Accounts Centre, they all carry the same birthday. That's useful for business owners: you don't need to correct it three times. It also means a mistake spreads, so double-check the year before you save.
If you're adding a brand new profile to your Meta Account and it was set up with a different birthday, Instagram says you may be asked to choose your accurate date of birth before that profile can be added.
My advice
Check whether your Facebook account is connected before you touch anything, because that decides where the edit happens. Then type the date once, carefully, and save it. With a change limit you can't see and no way to delete the field, this is one setting where you don't want a second attempt.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change my birthday on Instagram?
Go to your profile, tap Menu, then Accounts Centre, Profiles and personal details, Birthday or Date of birth, and tap Edit.
Why can't I change my birthday on Instagram?
Instagram limits how many times you can change your date of birth, so if you changed it recently you may have to wait. Some accounts also can't reach the setting yet.
Do I change my Instagram birthday on Facebook?
Only if your Facebook account is in the same Accounts Centre as Instagram. In that case, editing it on Facebook changes it on Instagram too.
Can I remove my birthday from Instagram?
No. Instagram says that once you've added your date of birth to your profile, it can't be removed. You can only edit it.
Do I need to change my birthday on every profile?
No. Dates of birth must match across all profiles in your Meta Account, so they share one birthday.
Can other people see my birthday on Instagram?
No. Instagram says your date of birth isn't shared with other people on Instagram.
