Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C N ) has been widely used in fields related to energy and materials science. However, nanostructured g-C N photocatalysts synthesized by traditional thermal polycondensation methods have the disadvantage of small specific surface areas and wide band gaps; these limit the catalytic activity and application range of g-C N . Based on the unique nanostructure of g-C N , it is a feasible method to modify g-C N with metals to design novel metal-semiconductor composites. Metals alter the photochemical properties of g-C N , in particular, narrow the band gap and expand photoabsorption into the visible range, which improves the photocatalytic performance. This review covers recent progress in metal/g-C N nanocomposites for photocatalysts, organic systems, biosensors, and so on. The aim is to summarize the synthetic methods, nanostructures, and applications of metal/g-C N nanocomposite materials, as well as discuss future research directions in these areas.