-Solar dryers are cutting-edge equipment that uses solar energy to remove moisture from various materials, including agricultural produce, textiles, and industrial components. It is carried out by employing fossil fuels in an artificial mechanical drying process or by leaving the produce in the open sun. The first approach is expensive and detrimental to the environment, whereas the second option completely depends on the weather. These dryers use the sun's energy to generate a controlled drying atmosphere, promoting effective moisture removal while lowering energy consumption and environmental impact. The literature review substantiates that indirect and mixed-mode solar dryers with phase change material have more potency in drying agricultural products than direct-drying solar dryers. The mixed-mode tent-type solar dryer decreases the moisture content of the fish from 89 % to 10 % in 18 h, while it takes 38 h when compared with an open sun dryer. According to the market forecasting analysis, the global solar dryer market was valued at USD 3.5 billion in 2023 and is predicted to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 10.6 % from 2023 to 2031. The primary goal of this review study is to provide an overview of the current advancements made by various researchers in solar dryers. Therefore, the contribution of researchers is globally updated from 2016 to 2021, while section five discusses the miscellaneous influence factors on solar dryers with the latest literature review, 2022–2023.