<p>The commercialization of sodium-ion batteries is contingent upon the development of low-cost, high-capacity anode materials exhibiting excellent cycling stability. In this study, bamboo powder was employed as a precursor for the synthesis of N, O co-doped porous bamboo-derived hard carbon (BCHC-N3), which demonstrated high cycling stability. Furthermore, the influence of morphological characteristics on capacity retention and cycling stability was systematically investigated. After modification, BCHC-N3 was engineered to possess abundant closed pores and a widened interlayer spacing. These structural attributes are considered beneficial for the rapid transport of Na⁺. The electrochemical data indicate that the BCHC-N3 anode demonstrated a significantly improved reversible capacity of 304 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹, with a 184 mAh g⁻¹ increase in plateau capacity over the directly carbonized bamboo powder (BHC). Furthermore, remarkable cycling stability was demonstrated at a high current density of 1 A g⁻¹, where 77.14% capacity retention was maintained after 1,000 cycles. The sodium storage mechanism of BCHC-N3 was elucidated through the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique analysis, revealing a dominant “adsorption–insertion/filling” process, which thereby uncovers the origin of its superior performance. This work presents a straightforward approach for producing sodium-ion batteries with exceptional cycling stability.</p> Graphical abstract <p>In this paper, we employed a strategy of structural regulation and N-doping to synthesize bamboo-derived porous hard carbon. This approach effectively enlarges the interlayer spacing and enhances the electrical conductivity of hard carbon, and N-doping improves defects and increases the number of Na⁺ storage sites, improving electrochemical performance of bamboo-derived porous hard carbon for sodium-ion batteries. Moreover, when porous hard carbon was used to assemble full cell, the cells demonstrated outstanding electrochemical performance.</p> <p></p>