As a high value-added platform chemical in biorefinery, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) can undergo conversion to various fine chemicals and high quality liquid fuels. Glucose decomposition in liquid-phase system is the conventional route for HMF production. To get insights into the effects of different solvents on HMF formation, the conversion of glucose in three different solvents, including water, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and water-DMSO mixture, was performed over the temperature range of 100℃ to 200℃. The results showed that the yield of HMF in water-DMSO mixture at 175℃ was up to 20.7%, which was much higher than that in pure water (11.86%) and DMSO (10.0%). A reaction model involving the formation pathways of HMF, levulinic acid (LA) and humin was used to analyze the kinetics of glucose decomposition, and the obtained kinetic parameters predicted experimental results very well. It was found that DMSO altered the path of glucose isomerization, resulting in the formation of fructose and galactose. Compared with the enhancement of HMF activity in water, DMSO suppressed the further reaction of HMF to form LA and humin. Moreover, the properties of the humins generated in the three solvents were characterized, and the corresponding formation mechanisms were discussed.