<p>This work added to the increasing efforts to explore innovative materials for the future of photovoltaics, which was important given the solar industry’s pressing need for new and efficient materials. In this study, we revealed the promising optical and photovoltaic capabilities of mono phase lattice of barium ferrite by successfully incorporating Mn²⁺ ions for the first time to the best of our extent. Magnetic Ba_1-xMn_xFe₂O₄ (x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5) nanoparticles have been prepared by sol-gel auto combustion method. BaFe₂O₄ has received a little attention for its photovoltaic potential thus far, with much of its research focused on magnetic, radar absorption, and EMI (electromagnetic interference) shielding applications. Mn at varying substitutional concentration (20–50%) molar fraction was investigated to eliminate the disparity between magnetism and energy conversion encouraged by untapped potential of Mn incorporated ferrite nanoparticles as an innovative photo active material. X-ray diffraction demonstrated a structural transition from orthorhombic Pnma to Pmcn in pure barium ferrite to 20% Mn content, followed by orthorhombic Bb2₁m with 30% and 50% samples resulting in the reduction of crystallite size (43–39 ± 2 nm) with substitution. SEM and EDS settled the formation of sphere-shaped nanoparticles (229–61 ± 5 nm) and supported the presence of Mn with proposed scheme in all samples, respectively. With an increase in Mn concentration, VSM showed a notable improvement (M_s = 1.5–25 emu/g) in magnetism. The structural transition also correlated with increased light absorption and a narrowing of the optical band gap (1.5–2.0 ± 0.02 eV) revealed by DRS. The greenish-yellow portion of the CIE chromaticity diagram corresponded to the 573–576 nm range where visible emission was observed in PL spectra indicating defect levels and effective radiative recombination within the band structure refining charge carrier dynamics. The ferroelectric behavior reflected high leakage current for higher infused Mn samples by multiferroic system. Significantly, Mn-substituted samples showed elevated photo current density in current-voltage (I-V) directing their possibility as multipurpose material. Such optical behavior suggested the material’s potential to effectively absorb visible light and conversion. These results collectively strengthened that Mn infusion competently tailored the structural, magnetic, and optoelectronic characteristics of barium ferrite nanoparticles, hence enabling this combination as an efficient material for PV applications.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>