Abstract: Photothermal conversion is the process of converting solar energy into thermal energy which allows for the use of solar energy, a clean and renewable resource, to alleviate energy scarcity. Carbon aerogel materials with a highly developed pore structure, excellent light capture, and high photothermal conversion efficiency are currently an important research topic in the field of photothermal conversion. The principles of photothermal conversion for various photothermal materials are outlined and research progress on different types of carbon aerogels, including graphene, carbon nanotube, biomass-based carbon, and polymer-based carbon aerogels, as photothermal materials. The use of carbon aerogels as photothermal materials in solar water evaporation, thermal energy storage, photothermal catalysis, photothermal therapy, and photothermal de-icing are then introduced.