Abstract Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powder has emerged as a vital structural and functional material in ceramic applications owing to its remarkable performance including wear resistance, temperature resistance, and corrosion resistance. Agglomeration during the drying process is the other key issue that needs to be resolved, which improving the quality of zirconia powder becomes crucial in reducing industrial expenses. This study focuses on investigating the influence of modern microwave heating technology on the drying kinetics of Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powder. The experimental results revealed that the average drying rate of Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powder increased with sample water content, microwave heating power, and sample mass. Four kinetic fitting models, namely Page, Wang and Singh, Quadratic Model, and Modified Page, were employed to analyze the experimental data for Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powder with a mass of 20 g, initial water content of 7.5%, and the microwave heating power is 480 W. Among these models, the Modified Page model demonstrated the best fit and effectively described the drying kinetics of Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ceramic powder. The Modified Page model successfully captured the kinetics across varying masses, microwave heating powers, and initial water content. FT-IR spectroscopy was employed to describe the material before and after microwave drying. The results exhibited a significant reduction in water molecule content in the Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powder after microwave drying, thus confirming the high efficiency and rapidity of the microwave drying procedure. This research provides comprehensive experimental data and offers a theoretical foundation for the industrial application of microwave-enhanced drying of Y₂O₃–ZrO₂ ceramic powder.