Our photocatalytic carbonylation reaction provides a powerful method for direct C(sp 3 )-H activation of diverse alkanes. This process enables regioselective installation of carbonyl moieties in simple and complex organic scaffolds, expanding the toolkit for organic synthesis. Importantly, our method represents a promising pathway for upgrading light hydrocarbons at ambient temperature, opening the door to the use of these readily available feedstocks as coupling partners in the synthesis of complex organic molecules.