Facebook’s relationship status feature allows users to display whether they are single, in a relationship, married, engaged, or in a civil partnership or domestic partnership. Showing that you are single on Facebook can help friends and potential romantic matches understand your availability and interest in dating.
Should I show my single status?
There are a few factors to consider when deciding whether to show that you are single on Facebook:
- Privacy – Your relationship status is public information that anyone can see. If you prefer to keep your dating life more private, you may opt to hide your relationship status altogether.
- Meeting new people – Showing that you’re single enables friends and friends-of-friends to see you’re available. This opens up more possibilities for connecting romantically.
- Current interest – If you are currently interested in dating and meeting new people, showing your single status can help facilitate that. If you are not looking to date, you may choose to keep your status hidden or show “In a relationship” without listing a partner.
- Harassment concerns – As relationship status is public, showing you are single could lead to unwanted attention or messages from strangers. Consider your comfort level.
- Connecting with old friends or exes – Your single status may prompt past romantic partners or old acquaintances to reach out. Determine if you are open to reconnecting.
Overall, displaying your single relationship status can help facilitate meeting new people, but also comes with some privacy and messaging concerns to weigh.
How do I show single relationship status on Facebook?
You can display a single relationship status on Facebook in a few simple steps:
- Log into your Facebook account on a desktop computer or mobile device.
- Click on your profile icon (top right corner of screen) and select “View Profile.”
- In the left sidebar, click the “Relationship” section under “Info.”
- Click on the drop down box next to “Relationship Status.”
- Select “Single” and click “Done” or “Confirm.”
Your relationship status field should now display “Single” publicly on your profile. When you begin dating someone, you can return to these steps to update your relationship status accordingly.
How do I hide my relationship status?
If you decide you would rather not display a public relationship status on Facebook, you can hide the field altogether:
- Follow steps 1-3 above to navigate to your relationship status section.
- Click the dropdown box next to “Relationship Status.”
- Select “No status displayed”
- Click “Done” or “Confirm.”
Your relationship status field will now be empty and hidden from your public profile. Friends looking at your profile will no longer see any indication of your relationship status.
What does the “single” status look like?
When your relationship status is listed as “Single,” it will appear as follows on your profile page:
The word “Single” will be displayed prominently next to a heart icon in your relationship status section, visible to all visitors to your profile.
Can I specify open to dating or not looking?
The single relationship status option does not allow you to specify any further details about your interest in dating. The status will simply show as “Single” whether you are actively looking to date or not open to romantic connections at this time.
If you wish to communicate your openness to dating within your status, you have a few options:
- In the “About” section, write a brief line such as “Newly single and looking to meet new people!” This allows you to customize and provide more context.
- List yourself as “In a relationship” and enter your own name to essentially indicate you are single and ready to mingle.
- Engage with Facebook Dating features, which you can enable within your Facebook app settings while single.
Or you can simply leave your status set to the single default, which will at least show your availability even if subtleties of romantic interest are not distinguished.
How do I change from single status to in a relationship?
When you begin a new romantic relationship, you can update your status accordingly by following these steps:
- Navigate to your Facebook relationship status section.
- Click on the dropdown menu.
- Select “In a relationship.”
- A field will appear below to enter your partner’s name. Type in their name.
- Click “Done” or “Confirm.”
Your relationship status will then display “In a relationship with [partner’s name].” Be sure to discuss with your new partner before publicly posting the relationship on Facebook.
Can I specify the type of relationship?
Yes, when in a relationship you can specify the following types:
- Married
- Engaged
- In a civil partnership
- In a domestic partnership
After selecting “In a relationship”, click “Add your partner’s name” and a dropdown menu will appear to select one of these specific relationship classifications. This allows you to communicate the exact nature of your committed relationship.
Can I list multiple partners?
Unfortunately, Facebook only allows listing one partner name and relationship type. There is no option to show multiple partners to represent polyamorous or non-monogamous relationships.
If in a consensual non-monogamous partnership, you have a few options:
- List as “In a relationship” and only mention one partner’s name
- Display as “In a relationship” but write “In an open relationship” instead of naming a specific partner
- Select “In a civil partnership” or “In a domestic partnership” and name multiple partners
- List as single and explain your relationship style in the About section
While you are limited to showing one named partner, you can craft your About section to more fully explain your relationship situation.
Can I show my orientation on my profile?
Facebook does not have settings to display sexual orientation or gender identity on your main profile. However, you can indicate orientation within the following sections:
- Info: In your Bio description, write your orientation (gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc).
- Life Events: Add “Coming out” life event with orientation details.
- Interests: List relevant groups and causes related to your LGBTQ+ orientation.
Be sure that mentioning orientation aligns with your comfort level for sharing that personal information publicly on Facebook.
What happens if someone else says we’re in a relationship?
If another Facebook friend or partner indicates in their own status that they are “In a relationship” with you, this will not automatically change your displayed relationship status. However, it will prompt a notification encouraging you confirm whether you are indeed in said relationship. You can either confirm it to reflect the status on your own profile, or simply ignore or delete the notification.
Can I disable others’ ability to tag me as a partner?
Yes, you can limit other users’ ability to associate your profile publicly as their partner without your consent:
- Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings
- Click “Privacy”
- Under “Your Activity and Information”, click “How people can find and contact you.”
- Disable the setting called “Do you want other people to be able to pair your profile with their accounts when proposing a romantic relationship with you?”
This will prevent notifications about others listing you as a partner on their own relationship status. You maintain full control over your displayed status.
Can I show my relationship status to only some friends?
Unfortunately, Facebook does not allow granular control over who can see your relationship status updates. Your status is either public to all users, or hidden from everyone in your friends list as well.
If you wish to limit knowledge of your dating life, consider:
- Hiding your relationship status entirely
- Updating your status but restricting it from showing up in timeline posts
- Using customized privacy settings to exclude specific friend lists
While not completely selective, these options allow some additional privacy around who can view your romantic status activity.
Conclusion
Displaying your single relationship status on Facebook can be a helpful way to signal your availability to date within your social network. However, it also comes with privacy concerns and unwanted messaging to weigh before making your status public. Use Facebook’s relationship options mindfully, customize settings to maximize your comfort level, and update your status whenever your dating life evolves.