TheGolden2-like(GLK) transcription factors are plant-specific transcription factors (TFs) that perform extensive and significant roles in regulating chloroplast development. Here, genome-wide identification, classification, conserved motifs,cis-elements, chromosomal locations, evolution and expression patterns of thePtGLKgenes in the woody model plantPopulus trichocarpawere analyzed in detail. In total, 55 putativePtGLKs(PtGLK1-PtGLK55) were identified and divided into 11 distinct subfamilies according to the gene structure, motif composition and phylogenetic analysis. Synteny analysis showed that 22 orthologous pairs and highly conservation between regions ofGLKgenes acrossP. trichocarpaandArabidopsiswere identified. Furthermore, analysis of the duplication events and divergence times provided insight into the evolutionary patterns ofGLKgenes. The previously published transcriptome data indicated thatPtGLKgenes exhibited distinct expression patterns in various tissues and different stages. Additionally, severalPtGLKswere significantly upregulated under the responses of cold stress, osmotic stress, and methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and gibberellic acid (GA) treatments, implying that they might take part in abiotic stress and phytohormone responses. Overall, our results provide comprehensive information on thePtGLKgene family and elucidate the potential functional characterization ofPtGLKgenes inP. trichocarpa.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-023-01138-1.