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Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Increasing evidence in humans and animal models implicates dysregulated circuit function in this complex and heterogeneous disorder. The expanding use of optogenetics has fueled significant advances in understanding the neurobiology of behavior. This innovative technology allows for the manipulation of neurons within specific brain regions, circuits, or cell-types to determine the causal relationships between neuronal activity and behavior. Optogenetic tools have been key to mapping the circuitry underlying depression-like behavior in animal models, clarifying the contribution of the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens, medial prefrontal cortex, ventral hippocampus as well as other limbic areas to stress susceptibility. The ongoing development of optogenetic tools to probe in vivo function of ever-more specific circuits, paired with recent advances in imaging techniques, will continue to refine our knowledge of the circuit mechanisms of depression.