Single crystalline ZnTe powder was mechanically ground in air using an agate mortar and pestle, and changes in the structural and photoconductive properties were studied. The mean particle size was reduced to about 5 µm in the early stage of grinding. In the X-ray diffraction patterns, Te and ZnO lines appeared as 5 h and 8 h grindings, respectively. However, all the diffraction lines disappeared after 50 h grinding. Dark current in the ground ZnTe powder becomes maximum around 8 h grinding. This can be explained by the separation of Te associated with grinding. The original ZnTe powder showed photoconductive sensitivity to visible light. The sensitivity increased slightly in the early stage of grinding and then decreased with further grinding. Temperature dependences of the dark currents were measured in the temperature range of 170–370 K.