Abstract: Xylose is the predominant component of hemicellulose, and converting xylose to valuable compounds is essential to achieve biomass utilization. Herein, N-doped carbon nanotubes encapsulated metal catalysts (Co@NC) with hydrogenation and isomerization capacities were synthesized via bottom-up method for catalyzing xylose hydrogenolysis into 1,2-diols. The physicochemical properties of Co@NC prepared with different calcination temperature were determined by XRD, TEM, XPS and so on. The Co@NC prepared at 600 ℃ exhibited the optimal catalytic activity, and the yield of diols reached 70.1% with ethylene glycol, 1,2-propylene glycol and 1,2-pentanediol being 17.6%, 25.1% and 27.4%, respectively. The doping N species served as the basic sites which benefited the isomerization of xylose to xylulose. Xylulose was subsequently converted to glycolaldehyde and acetol through Retro-aldol reaction, followed by hydrogenation to produce ethylene glycol and 1,2-propylene glycol. 1,2-Pentanediol derived from the selective hydrodeoxygenation of xylose, the yield of which surpassed the results that had been reported. The Co@NC catalysts with high robustness under harsh hydrothermal conditions provided new insights into the effective conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to 1,2-diols.