Abstract: The recent research and application of ionic liquids (ILs) in extractive desulfurization (EDS) are summarized and discussed. The extraction mechanism and the effects on desulfurization rate of such factors as structures of ILs，sulfide types，temperature，extraction time，solvent-oil ratio are introduced respectively. Several probable regeneration methods of ILs are compared and the prospect of ILs in EDS is predicted. It is proposed that the prime task is to develop and synthesize ILs at a lower price，higher sulfide selectivity. In addition，it is essential to raise the recycling utilization ratio of ILs，develop combined desulfurization technologies，complete various basic data so as to accelerate industrial application of ILs.