Objective To understand the microwave heating characteristics and moisture content changes of fresh Camellia oleifera seeds.Methods Numerical simulations coupling electromagnetic loss with solid/fluid heat transfer are conducted to analyze the temperature rise characteristics of a single C. oleifera seed, thereby determining the appropriate sample placement and microwave power ranges. Microwave drying experiments of individual and small batches of C. oleifera seeds are performed to validate the numerical results against the actual internal and surface temperatures. Two-term, Henderson and Pabis, and Midilli and Kucuk models are employed to fit the dry basis moisture content changes to analyze the microwave drying kinetics of C. oleifera seeds.Results The actual temperatures of C. oleifera seeds are in general consistence with the simulated results, which validates the reliability of the numerical simulations. The microwave drying process of C. oleifera seeds can be divided into three stages: acceleration, stabilization, and deceleration, and the Midilli and Kucuk model can accurately describe this drying kinetics behavior. Under the preferred drying conditions (microwave power of 200~350 W, single heating duration of 5 min, and interval duration of 2 min), a single batch of C. oleifera seeds (200 g) can achieve the desired dry basis moisture content (9%) in 42~126 min. This drying method has a 70%~90% higher efficiency than conventional hot-air drying or infrared drying and avoids carbonization and cracking due to overheating.Conclusion Microwave heating technology can realize efficient and controllable drying of fresh C. oleifera seeds.