Display omitted •SILAR method is employed for the formation of Ni-doped Fe2O4 thin films.•Morphology has a great impact on data storage devices.•Ni concentration decreases the crystallite size of Fe3O4 thin film.•The low crystallite size enhances the ferromagnetism in Ni-doped Fe2O4 thin films.•The Ni doping in Fe3O4 thin film brings magnetic hardness to the material and makes it suitable for future-generation data storage devices. In this article, Ni-doped Fe3O4 thin films were synthesized by using the SILAR technique. The films were characterized through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman, Photoluminescence and UV–Vis analysis. The XRD spectrum confirms the spinal structure of undoped and Ni-doped Fe3O4 thin films. The FESEM images show that Ni-doping has changed the morphology of thin films from a granular to a Spiky structure. The EDAX and XPS spectra show Fe, Ni and O elements are present in 1%Ni-doped Fe3O4 thin film. The vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) studies showed ferromagnetism in undoped and Ni-doped Fe3O4 thin films. The ferromagnetism behavior of Ni-doped Fe3O4 thin films increases with the increase in Ni ion concentration.