Using the PLD technique, nanocrystalline thin films of Cd1₋ₓMnₓO (CdMnO) were synthesized on MgO(100) substrate. X-ray diffraction patterns revealed the single-phase cubic structure of these crystalline films. A shift in crystallographic alignment after Mn-content was indicated by the texture coefficient, which showed a preferential growth along (200) in undoped CdO(Mn00) and shifted to the (400) plane after Mn-doping. The cubic phase in CdMn O films was supported by the Raman measurements. The Burstein-Moss effect was responsible for the observed optical band gap widening in Mn00 after Mn-incorporation. As the Mn-content increased, magnetic measurements revealed an improvement in the ferromagnetic ordering of Mn00.