ZnO thin films deposited on glass substrate by sol-gel method, were characterized by XRD, AFM and UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy. The influences of annealing temperature, coating layer number, original concentration, and pH value of solution on the photocatalytic properties of ZnO thin film in the degradation of azocarmine were studied. The results show that the ZnO dun films prepared by sol-gel method are transparent, and consist of well-dispersed spherical ZnO crystals; with the temperature increasing, the grain size of ZnO increases from 17 to 30 nm. The annealing temperature of 300°C, coating layer number of 5 and original pH of 8-9 are the best conditions of degradation of azocarmine by ZnO thin film in photocatalytic experiment.