Fast electron transfer from PbSe quantum dots (QDs) to the porous anatase TiO2 film was observed in transient absorption and luminescence, when the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital level of PbSe QDs is higher than that of TiO2. In PbSe QDs 2.7 nm in diameter linked to the TiO2 film the bleaching recovery and the luminescence decay shortened to 1 ps and 4.2 ns from 650 ps and 1.3 mu s observed in the non-linked PbSe QDs, respectively. The electron transfer from both the quantum state and the localized state in PbSe QDs to TiO2 takes place fast and efficiently. VC 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4729881]