[Objectives]  To evaluate the preferences of female Thrips tabaci for different plant volatiles and thereby provide a basis for developing candidate attractants, or repellents, for this pest. [Methods]  The preferences of adult female T. tabaci for different plant volatiles at a concentration of 1 µg/µL were determined in an olfactometer, and the effects of different concentrations of these volatiles were also evaluated. [Results]  Females displayed no significant preference for γ-decanolactone, (+)-α-pinene, linalool, 2-phenylethyl acetate or (-)-α-pinene, compared to the n-hexane solvent control at a concentration of 1 µg/µL (P>0.05). However, they displayed clear preferences for the other 20 volatiles. Nonanal, (S)-(-)-verbenone, (±)-citronellal, nerol and 1,8-cineole were significantly attractive (P<0.05), whereas 4-acetylpyridine, o-anisaldehyde, δ-decanolactone, (Z)-3-hexenol, geraniol and 1-octen-3-ol were even more attractive (P<0.001). Salicylaldehyde, carvacrol, (Z)-jasmone, eugenol and allylanisole were significantly repellent to females (P<0.05), whereas methyl salicylate, methyl jasmonate, thymol and isovaleraldehyde were even more repellent (P<0.001). The attractiveness, or repellence, of most volatiles had a significant upward trend with increasing concentration, and the intensity of behavioral responses was closely related to volatile concentration. [Conclusion]  δ-decanolactone, geraniol, 1-octen-3-ol, o-anisaldehyde and 4-acetylpyridine have potential for development as attractants of T. tabaci, whereas methyl salicylate, methyl jasmonate and thymol are potential repellents. The results provide a basis for developing environmentally friendly methods for controlling T. tabaci.