Display omitted •3D structures with vast pores of HTNTs/Ti increase dispersion of N,F and others.•Nitrogen and fluorine was doped to improve PEC performance under visible light.•N,F-TiO2NTs/Ti has high sensitivity, low detection limit and wide detection range. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor stimulated by visible light has wide developing prospect in biosensor field due to its sensitivity and low detection limit. Via hydrothermal treatment, Ti supported hydrogen titanate nanotubes were prepared and exhibited fine 3D structure with vast pores (HTNTs/Ti). Further nitrogen and fluorine doping induced improved PEC performance under visible light. The surface morphology, composition and structure of the fabricated N, F-codoped TiO2 nanotubes/Ti (N, F-TiO2NTs/Ti) were analyzed by SEM, TEM, XRD and XPS. The PEC sensitivity of the N, F-TiO2NTs/Ti electrodes for glucose showed that the linear range for glucose was 0.5–3.0 μM, the detection sensitivity was 51.56 μA·mM−1·cm−2, and the detection limit (LOD) was 0.3230 μM. Compared with the similar HTNTs/Ti-based enzymatic sensor, the N, F-TiO2NTs/Ti exhibited better sensitivity for glucose, and was potential for biomedical applications for its stable properties and implanting potentiality.