Plant extracts have been employed as antimicrobial agents since ancient times. Neem, or Azadirachta indica, is a multipurpose tree that offers several health advantages. It has been demonstrated that plant parts of neem have antibacterial properties against a broad range of microbes. This decade has also seen a rise in interest in nanoparticles due to their improved absorption and increased bioavailability within the human body. In the current study, we have synthesized carbon dots (CDs) from the leaves of neem (Azadirachta indica) using hydrothermal green synthesis approach. The properties of synthesized CDs were analyzed in detail through several characterization techniques such as UV–vis spectroscopy, photoluminescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, time-resolved photoluminescence, and Raman spectroscopy.