Abstract A method based on the dinuclear system (DNS) has been proposed to describe the angular distribution of products in multinucleon transfer (MNT) reactions. Taking into account fluctuation effects, the angular distributions of reactions involving 136Xe+208Pb, 136Xe+209Bi, 86Kr+166Er, 84Kr+209Bi, and 84Kr+208Pb have been studied, demonstrating a good agreement with experimental data. Moreover, the double differential cross-sections (dσ2/dlidΘ and dσ2/dZdΘ) of reactions 136Xe+208Pb and 136Xe+209Bi has been analyzed to explore the mechanism of angular distribution in MNT reactions. Additionally, the optimal angles for detecting the N=126 isotopes have been determined through an analysis of the influence of the proton and neutron numbers of the projectiles on the angular distribution of the N=126 isotopic line. The results of this study could provide valuable insights for experimental detection.