Undoped, Li-doped (Li0.02Cd0.98O) and Li:Ce co-doped (Cex Li0.02Cd0.98-xO (x = 0.005, 0.01 and 0.02)) CdO nanofilms were prepared by a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) process. The effects of the Li and Li:Ce doping on the main physical properties such as crystal structure, surface morphological characteristics and optical features like bandgap and transmittance of obtained these films were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and UV–Vis spectrophotometer respectively. X-ray diffractogram analysis verified that the synthesized CdO films pertain to the cubic structure. XRD analysis indicated the growth of CdO with polycrystalline form for preferential orientation along the (111) and (200) plane. It is obviously seen from the SEM micrographs that Li doping and Li:Ce co-doping induce remarkable changes in the CdO surface morphology. The UV–Vis spectroscopy analysis results show that the (2.0% Li+1.0% Ce) Li:Ce co-doped CdO films exhibits maximum transmittance (27%) in the range between 300 and 1100 nm and high optical bandgap energy (Eg =2.92 eV).