Sending someone a happy birthday text message is a quick, convenient and cost-effective way to express that you're thinking of them. For these reasons, some people now choose to send birthday text messages in place of traditional birthday cards.
It only takes a minute or two to compose and send a happy birthday text – and such a simple gesture can really make your recipient's day.
To inspire you, we've drafted 33 happy birthday text message examples you can steal whether you're texting a friend, family member, business customer or employee. But first…
Tips for writing the perfect birthday text
A great birthday message doesn’t have to be complicated. But there are a few simple things you can do to make your text stand out and feel more personal:
Keep it short and genuine. Even a simple heartfelt line can brighten someone’s day.
Personalize your text message. Use their name or refer to a shared memory or an inside joke.
Match the tone to the relationship. Funny for friends, heartfelt for family, polite and professional for colleagues.
Use emojis wisely. A 🎂 or 🎉 adds fun, but avoid overloading the text.
Send your text at the right time. Morning is usually best, so they see it early and it gives them a happy start to their day. Or, if you’re close, you can also send it exactly at midnight!
Respect boundaries. For professional or customer texts, keep it warm but not overly casual.
Give something extra to the lucky customer. Businesses can include a special perk, such as a discount or loyalty points, to make the message more valuable.
Ready-to-use birthday text examples and templates
Here’s a huge collection of birthday text templates, from personal messages for friends and family to professional greetings for clients and employees. We’ve grouped them by relationship, tone, and context. Feel free to copy, paste, or adapt.
Person-to-person happy birthday wishes examples
Here are some personal happy birthday text message examples for when you’re texting people you know:
Happy birthday text messages to close friends
1. Happy birthday to the best friend in the world. Enjoy your special day!
2. A special person like you deserves the best birthday ever. Happy birthday!
3. Happy birthday, my special friend. Here’s to another year of friendship, joy and laughter.
4. Birthdays come around once a year, but best friends like us find each other once in a lifetime. Happy birthday!
5. Wishing my extraordinary friend a wonderful day. May you get spoilt rotten!
6. Wishing an amazing person the sweetest birthday. Looking forward to your birthday party tonight!
7. Warm wishes on your birthday. You are a true friend and a special person.
Happy birthday text messages for family members
8. Happy birthday to the greatest Dad. You’ll be my role model and hero my whole life.
9. Happy birthday, Mom! I’m so thankful for you and everything you’ve done for me over the years.
10. Happy birthday to my favourite brother! This text message is proof that I didn’t forget!
11. Wishing my lovely sister the sweetest birthday. You’re my best friend, my confidante and my partner in crime!
12. Happy birthday to the best grandparent anyone could ask for. Thank you for all your love.
13. Happy birthday to my wonderful cousin! Hope your day is filled with laughter.
14. Wishing the happiest birthday to my favorite [uncle/aunt]! You deserve the best!
Happy birthday wishes for people you know (but not that well)
15. Wishing you a day full of happiness, [Name].
16. Hope your birthday is just as special as you are.
17. Happy birthday, wishing you health and happiness always.
18. A little birdie told me it’s someone’s birthday... Celebrate in style, and best wishes for the coming year!
19. Happy birthday [Name]! A year older, a year wiser. Have a fun day!
20. Wishing you a wonderful birthday however you’re celebrating!
21. Happy birthday! Here’s to many more rotations around the sun.
22. Hi [Name]! Wishing you the best birthday ever, and health and happiness for the year ahead.
23. Have a wonderful birthday [Name]! Hope you’re celebrating in a special way today.
Funny happy birthday text messages
24. As Aaliyah once sang, “Age ain’t nothing but a number!” Have a great birthday!25. Happy birthday – and don’t worry, I’ll call the fire brigade should your birthday cake candles get out of control!
26. Another year older... How did you make it this far?! :o Happy birthday!
27. Happy birthday! Remember, age is simply the number of years the world has been blessed with your presence!
28. You know what they say... it’s better to be over the hill than under it! :P Happy birthday!
29. 31,536,000 seconds have passed since your last birthday. With this newfound knowledge, enjoy your special day!
30. You’re not older, you’re just more distinguished. ;-) Happy birthday!
31. Congrats on surviving another year :P Happy birthday!
32. Happy birthday! May your Wi-Fi always be strong and your cake always have frosting. ;-)
Creative birthday texts with emojis
33. Happy birthday [Name]! Hope your day is as awesome as you are! 🎁🥳
34. Wishing you the brightest year ahead, full of happiness and success. 🎈🎂✨
35. Another year older, but still rocking it. Happy birthday [Name]! 🎸🥁
36. Happy birthday! May your day sparkle brighter than the candles on your cake ✨🎂
37. Sending you cake, gifts, and all the good vibes for your special day 🎂🎁
38. Another year, another adventure. Cheers to you today and always 🥂🎁
Tip: For Viber/WhatsApp: Send a GIF of balloons or cake with a simple message like “Hope your day is filled with love and laughter!” Also, try stickers! Here are a few more ideas:
39. “Happy birthday to youuuu!” 🎂🎉🥳 (Send a voice note!)
40. GIF idea: balloons popping or blowing out candles on a cake, with “Happy birthday!” or similar message overlay.
41. Longer WhatsApp/Viber style message: “Happy birthday, [Name]! 🎂🎉 May today be full of laughter, sweet surprises, and all the things you love most. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead 🥂✨🎁.”
42. Another longer one: “Hey [Name], just wanted to drop by with a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY 🎂🥳 May your messages be full of love, your phone full of wishes, and your day full of memories you’ll treasure forever 🎉✨.”
Professional birthday texts for colleagues
43. Happy birthday, [Name]! Wishing you continued success and happiness both at work and outside it.
44. Wishing you a productive year ahead and a fantastic birthday celebration.
45. Happy birthday to a truly valued colleague. It’s a pleasure working with you.
46. May this birthday bring you joy and motivation for the year to come.
47. Happy birthday to you, my amazing colleague. Because of you, I love coming to work every single day!
Happy birthday text examples for businesses
When you’re texting on behalf of your business, getting the tone right is essential. To be on the safe side, opt for somewhere between professional and warm. Here are some examples.
Happy birthday wishes for customers or clients
48. Wishing you a very happy birthday. May the year ahead with filled with prosperity, health and joy!
49. Happy birthday [Name]! Here’s a special gift just for you – 15% off any product in our online store with code HAPPY: [URL]
50. Happy birthday! We hope your celebration will be as awesome as you have been to our business. We’re truly thankful for your custom.
51. As one of our most valued clients, you’re in our thoughts today. Happy birthday!
52. Happy birthday! Wishing you lots of opportunities, success and happiness for the coming year.
53. Happy birthday [Name]! As a token of appreciation, here’s a special discount just for you: [URL].
54. Cheers to you on your birthday! Thank you for being part of our journey.
55. Happy birthday! We’re grateful for your loyalty and wish you the very best in the year ahead.
Happy birthday texts for employees, co-workers or the boss
56. Best wishes, [Name]! Thank you for your dedication and teamwork.
57. Happy birthday [Name]! Our department is lucky to have you leading the way. You’re an inspiration to so many.
58. Happy birthday to the most supportive and inspiring boss I’ve ever had. It’s a joy working with you.
59. Thanks for all your hard work this year [Name]; it never goes unnoticed. Have a very happy birthday with your loved ones.
60. Happy birthday [Name]! You are dedicated, loyal, trustworthy and hardworking. You deserve the perfect day.
61. Wishing you a wonderful birthday and another year of amazing achievements at work.
62. Happy birthday, [Name]! Thanks for making our workplace brighter every day.
63. To a fantastic team member: may this birthday mark the start of your best year yet!
Birthday text etiquette
When it comes to birthday texts, the thought really does count, but a little etiquette goes a long way.
Timing matters. Send it in the morning so they see it early. For colleagues or customers, business hours are best.
For close friends and family, add something personal beyond “Happy birthday.”
Tone check. Keep it warm and appropriate for your relationship. Avoid cheeky humor with your boss or client.
Don’t send overly generic or copy-paste-sounding texts. Make it feel personal by adding a name or small detail.
Keep professional texts warm but not too casual.
Avoid inside jokes with people you don’t know well.
Don’t replace a call if it’s someone very close. Parents, partners, and best friends may expect more than a text.
For businesses, avoid being too salesy. Keep it genuine. A birthday message should feel like a gift, not a pitch.
How to send birthday text messages
If you’re texting person-to-person, as you would be with friends, relatives and acquaintances, you’ll just send them directly from your personal mobile device. However, if you’re sending birthday messages on behalf of your business, you need to treat them a bit differently.
Happy birthday text messages should be incorporated into your marketing and communications strategy because they can boost loyalty and engagement.
Therefore, it’s best to use an SMS messaging platform that can integrate into your CRM (or other business) system – so you can identify when customer or employee birthdays are due and track the performance of your SMS campaigns.
How to automate birthday texts (for businesses)
Manually sending birthday texts is fine for personal contacts, but businesses can’t realistically keep track of hundreds or thousands of customer birthdays. Manually remembering and sending birthday texts can be tough, especially for businesses with lots of customers. Automation solves this.
With Messente’s dashboard, you can:
Import your customer or employee list.
Add birthday details to their profiles.
Schedule automated messages in advance.
Personalize each text with names or offers. You can use dynamic fields to include names, promo codes, or special offers.
Be open to sending messages across channels. Whether it’s SMS, Viber, or WhatsApp, reach people where they are.
Track delivery rates and engagement in real time.
This ensures no birthday is missed and shows customers or employees that you value them while saving your business time and effort.
Happy birthday text messages for the people you care about
Whether you want to wish a friend, relative, colleague or customer happy birthday, a text message can make them feel special. A birthday text is quick and easy to send – and cost-effective compared to a birthday card, which, according to research from the Greeting Card Association, can vary from 50 cents to $10.
Want more text message templates? Check out:
