The effective coupling of photoinduced alcohol oxidation and water reduction may economically produce hydrogen (H 2 ) from water, which is of great significance in solving the current energy crisis. This study discloses that decatungstate (DT) and especially Ni 2+ ions-doped DTs are active for the photoreaction of benzyl alcohol with H 2 O, and under 48 h of violet light illumination, the best 1%Ni-DT yields ca. 86.1% benzoic acid and a 4.65 h −1 H 2 generation efficiency (turnover frequency, TOF). Also, 1%Ni-DT is efficient for the photoredox coupling reaction of aliphatic and especially aromatic primary/secondary alcohols with water. A series of characterizations support that the doubled-reduced H 2 DT produced from the photoreaction plays a key role in water reduction to H 2 , which is accelerated by the doped Ni 2+ . In particular, it and the derived Ni 3+ may construct a Z-type catalyst for water overall splitting, thereby hoisting the acid yield and H 2 amount in the later stage of the photoreaction.