The COVID-19 pandemic has updated research on inactivation of coronaviruses with physical, chemical, and physical-chemical treatments. The review focuses on the inactivation of coronaviruses including the recent SARS-CoV-2 and viruses of other groups with analogous structure using optical radiation. The antiviral effects of different optical ranges from vacuum ultraviolet to infrared radiation are described in terms of the mechanisms of virus photoinactivation, sensitive molecular targets and efficacy. Direct and photosensitized damaging effects of light on the viral molecular structures are considered. Information on the applied pathogen photoinactivation technologies and the advantages of light sources for future applications is provided.