We reported on the effect of an external magnetic field on the photovoltaic performance of Ru-bipyridyl dye N719 or CdS-sensitized ZnO nanorods-based solar cells (DSCs). At the short circuit, increases in photocurrent of similar to 25% and similar to 34% can be obtained at an external magnetic fields of less than 10 mT for N719 and CdS-DSCs, respectively, which in turn increase the energy conversion efficiency of similar to 31% and similar to 46%. This increase in photocurrent is attributed to an increase in the efficient separation of electron -hole pairs and a decrease in electron transport resistance in ZnO nanorods film under applied magnetic field. These interesting magnetic-field effects can lead to new potential applications in enhanced DSCs efficiency. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.