The surface ozone (O₃) spatiotemporal distribution, variations and its causes in Beijing in 2014–2020 are revealed by quantitative estimates of the trends of 12 ozone metrics relevant to human health and tropospheric NO₂ and formaldehyde (HCHO) column concentration, based on the air quality monitoring network data and satellite retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI). Results showed that the maximum O₃ concentrations decreased slightly since 2014. The annual 90th percentile of the daily maximum 8-h average (MDA8) O₃ and the “ozone-season” (April–September) MDA8 decreased by 0.32 and 0.19 μg m⁻³ year⁻¹, respectively. The changes in Beijing contrast the widespread and significant O₃ increases in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region in recent years. However, significant positive trends in MDA8-90th and ozone-season MDA8 were observed in 7% and 14% of monitoring sites in Beijing (p < 0.05), most of which are located in urban areas and suburbs close to urban areas. The spatial distribution of high O₃ values in Beijing has changed significantly. The areas with high O₃ concentrations shifted from the northern suburbs (Changping and Miyun districts) to the northeastern and southwestern suburbs and the east of the central urban area. The ozone-season NO₂ and HCHO tropospheric columns showed reductions of 4.2% and 0.4% year⁻¹, respectively, from 2014 to 2019 in Beijing, which suggested that the decrease in NO_X emissions was much greater than the decrease in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Such an extremely inappropriate control ratio of ozone precursor NO_X/VOCs led to an overall trend of slow declining fluctuations of O₃ and an increasing trend of individual sites in Beijing. Obviously, the reduction of VOCs in Beijing is far from sufficient, and the significant decrease of Beijing's O₃ concentration can only be achieved by a drastically reduction in VOC emissions.