Maize starches with different amylose contents (0%, 23% and 55%) were treated in anhydrous methanol, ethanol, 2‐propanol, 1‐butanol with 0.36% HCl at 25 °C for 5 days. Results showed that the extent of change in physicochemical properties increased from methanol to butanol. Treated waxy maize starch showed higher than 65% solubility at above 75 °C. The diffraction peak at 2θ = 5.3° of amylomaize V starch disappeared after treatment in ethanol, 2‐propanol and 1‐butanol. Acid–alcohol treatment decreased the gelatinisation temperature of normal (from 64.5 to 61.9 °C) and waxy maize (from 68.1 to 61.1 °C) starches, while it increased that of amylomaize V (from 68.7 to 72.3 °C) starch. The extent of the decrease in the pasting viscosity followed the following order: amylomaize V < normal maize < waxy maize. This study indicated that acid–alcohol treatment degraded preferentially the amorphous regions and the different changes depended on the crystal structure and amylose content of starch.