In the past decades, the doping of ZnO one‐dimensional nanostructures has attracted a great deal of attention due to the variety of possible morphologies, large surface‐to‐volume ratios, simple and low cost processing, and excellent physical properties for fabricating high‐performance electronic, magnetic, and optoelectronic devices. This article mainly concentrates on recent advances regarding the doping of ZnO one‐dimensional nanostructures, including a brief overview of the vapor phase transport method and hydrothermal method, as well as the fabrication process for photodetectors. The dopant elements include B, Al, Ga, In, N, P, As, Sb, Ag, Cu, Ti, Na, K, Li, La, C, F, Cl, H, Mg, Mn, S, and Sn. The various dopants which act as acceptors or donors to realize either p‐type or n‐type are discussed. Doping to alter optical properties is also considered. Lastly, the perspectives and future research outlook of doped ZnO nanostructures are summarized. Recent developments in doping ZnO 1D nanostructured photodetectors are reviewed with a focus on the type of photodetector and the methods of synthesis and fabrication. In this review, the typical fabrication methods and structure–property relationships of these photodetectors are discussed. The photodetector performances of differently doped materials are also summarized and compared.