Abstract: [Objective] Desertification in the six northern provinces and regions accounts for 81.5% of China's total desertified area. Investigating the sensitivity of desertification in these areas holds significant importance for ecological security and socioeconomic development in northern China. [Methods] Based on the Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use model, map analysis, and geographical detector, this study analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and driving mechanisms of desertification sensitivity in the six northern provinces and autonomous regions during the period from 2010 to 2023. [Results] (1) Desertification sensitivity in the six northern provinces and autonomous regions was dominated by a stable type. The area of transitions among different sensitivity types reached 1.3622 million km2, accounting for 36.11% of the study area. Transitions mainly occurred among high-, medium-, and low-sensitivity types, as well as at the boundaries between different sensitivity types. (2) There are marked differences in the changes in the areas of various desertification sensitivity types. Specifically, the area of extremely sensitive regions shifted from increasing to decreasing; high-sensitivity areas fluctuated; medium-sensitivity areas decreased significantly; low-sensitivity areas continued to expand; and non-sensitive areas remained stable. Overall, these trends indicate a general alleviation of desertification sensitivity. (3) The driving factor analysis revealed that the interaction between aridity and land use type exerted the strongest influence. Among the individual driving factors, aridity had the greatest effect on changes in desertification sensitivity. [Conclusion] During the study period, the overall desertification sensitivity in the six northern provinces and autonomous regions decreased, showing a spatial distribution pattern of higher sensitivity in the west and lower sensitivity in the east. In future desertification control efforts in this region, enhanced monitoring of climatic factors and rational planning of land use types are recommended.