The photothermal effect induced by surface plasmon resonance has attracted significant attention in the field of nanostructure regulation due to its advantages, including excellent light absorption and thermal conversion capability, localized heating characteristics, rapid response speed, and relatively controllable thermal distribution. This review systematically summarizes the generation mechanisms, regulatory strategies, and applications of plasmonic thermal effects in micro/nano material structural control. Firstly, the influence of noble metal energy band structures on material optical properties is explored, with mechanistic analysis of interband transitions and intraband transitions in governing plasmon relaxation dynamics and hot carrier generation processes. Subsequently, the physical origins of plasmonic thermal effects and their regulatory measures are discussed. The latest advancements in applying plasmonic heating to modulate the structures of metallic and dielectric nanomaterials are consolidated, including applications in nanomaterial growth, morphological deformation, and crystal phase transformations. A particular focus on the structural regulation and luminescence property tuning of rare-earth-doped micro/nanocrystals enabled by plasmonic thermal effect. Finally, this review summarizes current research progress, identifies remaining challenges, and outlines potential future research directions and applications, with particular attention to potential contributions in fields such as new material development, biomedicine imaging, and high density optical storage.