Zinc was introduced into γ-Al₂O₃ by either co-precipitation or impregnation methods. Zinc introduced by co-precipitation was homogeneously dispersed in the framework of the support, while it was aggregated on the surface of alumina upon addition via impregnation. The co-precipitated prepared Zn–Al₂O₃ supported cobalt catalyst possessed appropriate pore structure, lower cobalt–support interaction and improved cobalt reducibility, thus showing a significantly enhanced catalytic activity with good stability in Fischer–Tropsch synthesis.