Abstract: To improve the drying and storage quality of millet and to improve the phenomenon of moldy and spoiled millet due to the delayed drying of millet under a high humidity environment. The thin layer drying equipment was used to dry the millet for the experiment. The hot air temperature, air velocity, and initial moisture content were selected for single-factor experiments, and the L₉（3~4） orthogonal experiments were used to investigate the drying characteristics and changes in the protein content of millet. The results showed that the optimal combination was a hot air temperature of 30°C, an air velocity of 1m/s, initial moisture content of 19% or 27%, and protein content of 10.9% of the millet. The results of this study might provide an essential reference for hot air quality preservation drying of millet.