In this paper we have studied the electrical properties and photoconductivity of CdSe thin films, prepared by vacuum evaporation using the quasi-closed volume technique. It was found that the films were polycrystalline with a hexagonal (wurtzite) structure and the crystallites are highly oriented with the (002) planes paralel to substrate. The film surface was investigated by means of SEM. The temperature dependence of electrical conductivity and Seebeck coefficient was studied. The films have n-type conduction. The spectral characteristics of photoconductivity were studied at 78 K and 300 K in the wavelength range 300-1100 nm. The bandgap energy (1.53-1.63 eV) calculated by using the Moss rule is smaller than those determined from absorption spectra. For the diffusion length, determined form absorption spectra and spectral dependence of photoconductivity, values between 0.22 and 0.29 μ were found.