Investigations into the design and advancement of oxygen vacancies (OVs) are at the forefront of high-efficiency catalyst research. However, the lack of experimental evidence and a comprehensive mechanistic understanding regarding the promotion of OVs poses challenges. Herein, we investigate the role of crystal planes in elucidating the mechanism of OVs formation and their impact on photocatalytic hydrogen evolution. Initially, the Vienna ab-initio simulation package was utilized to calculate the key characteristics and band parameters of BaZrO3, subsequently, the screening crystal planes of (110) was synthesized. Experimental findings indicated that the (110) crystal plane increased the OVs rate from 32 % to 56 %, consequently improving photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance from 13.1 to 20.5 mmol·g−1·h−1. Furthermore, theoretical calculations were employed to delve into both OVs formation mechanisms and catalytic activity. This study presents an innovative approach for strategically modifying catalyst OVs for efficient and high-performance photocatalytic applications.