Hydrogen-rich organic molecules such as alcohols are widely used as hydrogen donors in transfer hydrogenation. Nevertheless, water as a more abundant and eco-friendly hydrogen source has hardly been used due to the high difficulty in splitting water molecules. Herein, we designed a photocatalytic water-donating transfer hydrogenation (PWDTH) technique, in which hydrogen was extracted from water under light illumination and then in situ added to different unsaturated bonds (C=C, C=O, N=O) for chemical synthesis. Platinum loaded carbon nitride (Pt/CN) was used as the model catalyst for this cascade reaction, which is beyond its normal applications for water splitting. This approach was highly accessible to efficiency optimization, either by modifying CN for extended light absorption and enhanced charge transfer, or by alloying Pt with another metal for better catalytic activities. Remarkably, a quantum efficiency up to 21.8% was achieved for nitrobenzene hydrogenation under 380 nm irradiation which is 3 times higher than that obtained in a single water splitting reaction, indicating the PWDTH can be more rewarding than hydrogen evolution for solar energy harvesting. Deep insights into the underlying mechanism was provided by detailed measurements and interpretations of femtosecond transient absorption spectra, action spectra (quantum efficiency as a function of excitation wavelength) and reaction kinetic profiles under varied conditions including the variation of light intensities, temperatures and water isotopes. The mild Page 1 of 22 ACS Paragon Plus Environment ACS Catalysis 2 reaction conditions, simple processing and broad substituent group tolerance endow this approach a high potential toward a general solar to chemical conversion technique.