Controlled growth of Bi WO nanorods with exposed [0 0 1] facets and the fabrication of an Fe O -Bi WO magnetic composite by a microwave-assisted polyol process, were achieved in this study. The adsorptivity and photocatalytic performance of the composite toward sunset yellow dye degradation were greatly enhanced by the -cyclodextrin cavities on its surface, firmly anchored through a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide linkage. A series of examinations and characterizations were carried out to determine the influence of various factors on the morphological modulation-photocatalytic behavior of the pure Bi WO prior to final functionalization. Changing the pH of the precursor solution impacted the formation of 0D, 2D, and 3D structures; however, the presence of hexamethylenetetramine surfactant induced the development of 1D nanorod structure. A reasonable crystal growth mechanism was proposed to elucidate the formation process. Conversely, the mechanism of the activity enhancement of -cyclodextrin functionalized Fe O -Bi WO , compared to that of the non-functionalized samples, could be realized with the assistance of chemical trapping experiments on sunset yellow, and was confirmed on the colorless antibiotic (sulfamethoxazole). The high performance and durability of this composite can be attributed to the facet-dependent activity, large adsorption capacity due to inclusion interactions, enhanced visible light absorption, and efficient charge separation.