Shah Mahmud Hotak, also known as Mahmud Ghilzai (1697?— April 22, 1725), is an Afghan ruler of the Hotaki dynasty who defeats and overthow sthe Safavid dynasty to become the king of Persia from 1722 until his death in 1725.

He is the eldest son of Mirwais Hotak, the chief of the Ghilzai-Pashtun tribe of Afghanistan, who has made the Kandahar region independent from Persian rule in 1709.

When Mirwais dies in 1715, he is succeeded by his brother, Abdul Aziz, but the Ghilzai Afghans persuade Mahmud to seize power for himself and in 1717 he overthrows and killed his uncle.