The carbon defects in nitrogen-doped carbon were controlled by removing the N atoms under different temperatures during the catalyst preparation process. The synthesised catalysts were characterised by multiple techniques, and the catalytic performance was evaluated under experimental conditions of gas hourly space velocity (C2H2) = 36 h(-1) at 220 degrees C. The catalytic performance of the synthesised nitrogen-doped carbon for acetylene hydrochlorination increased with the increment of carbon defect. Carbon defects in the catalysts were proposed to affect the adsorption of C2H2 and HCl and promote their conversion. The regeneration of the nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst was found to be effective by using high-temperature treatment in an NH3 atmosphere.