AbstractTo solve the contradiction between high performance and portability of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) systems, we propose a multipass cell (MPC) design method based on differential evolution (DE) algorithm, and realize intelligent optimization design of MPC with small volume and long optical path. MPC is the core component of the TDLAS system. The optical path of MPC determines the detection accuracy of the TDLAS system. The optical path is affected by the position and angle of incident laser, mirror spacing, and other parameters. The DE algorithm is used to optimize the parameters that affect the performance of MPC, and a compact MPC with a spherical mirror diameter of 25.4 mm, a laser reflection number of 183, an optical path of 5.98 m, and a mirror spacing of 31.7 mm is designed. Under the same spherical mirror condition, the detection limit of MPC designed based on the DE algorithm is increased from 0.91 to 0.76 ppm compared with the MPC commonly used seven‐ring spot pattern. This has a guiding and exemplary role in the design and development of high space utilization MPC.