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[Display omitted] • A near-infrared fluorescence probe based on dicyanomethylene-4H-pyrans was designed and synthesized. • The probe exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity to Hg2+ in ultrafast response time. • The probe can visualize Hg2+ in living HepG2 cells. Mercury ions (Hg2+) are a class of heavy metal ions that can cause serious harm to the human body due to their toxicity, fluidity, and bioaccumulation. Direct contact with Hg2+ can cause adverse effects on the human body. In addition, long-term exposure to Hg2+ can lead to extreme toxicity of enzymes and proteins in the body, disrupting the cell cycle and thus endangering human life. It is becoming increasingly important to develop a method that is reliable, stable, and sensitive for detecting Hg2+. In this study, a near-infrared "turn-on" fluorescent probe based on dicyanomethylene-4 H -pyran, DCM-Hg, was designed and synthesized to determine Hg2+ over other metal ions. Probe DCM-Hg had a detection limit (LOD) of 3.35 μM when used to detect Hg2+. The Hg2+ concentrations and the fluorescence intensities at 695 nm showed a good linear correlation. Additionally, Hg2+ in HepG2 cells was successfully visualized using the current probe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]