<p>The Mn⁴⁺ activated Mg₂TiO₄ red phosphors were fabricated by the sol–gel (SGM) and solid-state reaction (SSR) methods, and their structural and optical characteristics were investigated with the aim to determine the routes for obtaining the materials with bright red photoluminescence (PL) for application in light-emitting diodes. In the SSR method, the nanopowders of MgO and TiO₂ of rutile and anatase crystal structure were used for comparison. The phosphors were annealed at 1000, 1100 and 1200&#xa0;°C for 3&#xa0;h in the air. The X-ray diffraction study revealed that formation of Mg₂TiO₄ spinel phase began at 1100&#xa0;°C and its concentration increased to 85.7% at 1200&#xa0;°C. In the phosphors annealed at 1100&#xa0;°C, the concentration was found to be 2% and 39% in the SSR phosphors made using rutile and anatase TiO₂, respectively, and 78% in the SGM phosphor. All annealed samples showed red PL due to Mn⁴⁺ on Ti⁴⁺ site in the Mg₂TiO₄ and MgTiO₃ crystal phases. The intensity of Mn⁴⁺ PL was determined mainly by concentration of corresponding crystal phase in the phosphor. However, the SGM phosphors showed larger intensity of Mn⁴⁺ PL in both MgTiO₃ and Mg₂TiO₄ phases than those produced by the SSR at the same temperatures. It is concluded that the SGM is more preferable for the synthesis of red phosphors based on Mn⁴⁺ activated magnesium titanates, and the using of anatase TiO₂ in a SSR allow decreasing the temperature at which the Mg₂TiO₄ phase can be obtained.</p>