Abstract: Pyrolysis of organic matter using microwave heating technique has shown obvious advantages. This review introduces the application of microwave heating in the pyrolysis of organic matter in China and overseas，and describes the microwave pyrolysis by analyzing the influences of physical characteristics，operation conditions，with and without adding microwave absorber on the process and products of pyrolysis. The perspectives of microwave heating technique in organic matter pyrolysis are presented，and the issues which need further study are also presented.