Abstract: Cellulose is the most abundant renewable biomass raw material in nature and has great potential to solve the energy crisis. However, the comprehensive utilization rate of cellulose is low due to its complex structure, which is difficult to degrade. The degradation of cellulose by microorganism is an important strategy to realize its recycling. The microbial degradation of cellulose is reviewed from three aspects, including single strain, complex flora and optimized combination of isolates. The advantages and application values of each screening strategy are summarized and analyzed. Moreover, the microbial degradation mechanism and future development of cellulose are described to give opportunities for exploring new ideas of more efficient cellulose degradation.