With the rise of two-dimensional (2D) materials, layered metal thiophosphates (MPS3), as an important branch, have attracted much attention because of their excellent physical and chemical properties. Cadmium phosphorus trisulfide (CdPS3), as a promising photocatalyst, can be used for hydrogen evolution and organic degradation. Herein, high-quality 2D CdPS3 few layers are obtained by exfoliating bulk CdPS3 crystal. The optical properties of the as-obtained CdPS3 few layers show good light-harvesting ability, endowing it with excellent photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance (10.88 mmol g−1 h−1) and high organic degradation performance (more than 92% within 30 min) under Xe lamp irradiation. This research provides opportunities for the preparation and application of other 2D MPS3 type materials in the field of photocatalysis. Display omitted •CdPS3 few layers can be exfoliated from bulk crystals by a facile method.•CdPS3 few layers have highly efficient photocatalytic performance.•CdPS3 few layers have excellent Rh B degradation performance.