High entropy alloys (HEAs) based on transition metals display rich magnetic characteristics, however attempts on their application in energy efficient technologies remain scarce. Here, we explore the magnetocaloric application for a series of MnxCr0.3Fe0.5Co0.2Ni0.5Al0.3 (0.8 < x < 1.1) HEAs by integrated theoretical and experimental methods. Both theory and experiment indicate the designed HEAs have the Curie temperature close to room temperature and is tunable with Mn concentration. A non-monotonic evolution is observed for both the entropy change and the relative cooling power with changing Mn concentration. The underlying atomic mechanism is found to primarily emerge from the complex impact of Mn on magnetism. Advanced magnetocaloric properties can be achieved by tuning Mn concentration in combination with controlling structural phase stability for the designed HEAs. (C) 2021 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The editorial office of Journal of Materials Science & Technology.