The band structure, Density of States, optical properties of intrinsic and Mg, Ni-doped ZnV_2O_4 have been simulated by Materials Studio software based on density functional theory (DFT). The results show that intrinsic ZnV_2O_4 is a semiconductor material with indirect optical transition. The band gap increases after doping Mg or Ni. The magnetic properties of doped ZnV_2O_4 decrease, which has a certain theoretical significance for exploring the magnetic transformation of ZnV_2O_4 and the existence of nickel-vanadium compounds. The calculation results of optical properties show that ZnV_2O_4 is a kind of low dielectric material with low absorption coefficient and refractive index in the visible region, which is mainly characterized by ultraviolet absorption. After doping, the absorption and photoconductivity of ZnV_2O_4 were increased in the visible region. Therefore, this provides a theoretical guidance for improving the photoelectric properties of ZnV_2O_4.