Abstract: This review summarizes the progress of silver-loaded activated carbon （AC/Ag） for the deep purification of potable water. The propagation of microorganisms on AC and the antibacterial mechanisms of silver are firstly discussed. Then, the preparation methods for AC/Ag are elaborated, in which the nano-silver loaded AC/Ag has been proved to have stronger antibacterial characteristic. The influence of valence state and particle size of silver, the pore distribution and surface chemical properties of AC on the antibacterial and inhibitory properties are discussed. Furthermore, the developmental trend of AC/Ag is proposed.