Abstract: Starch is a kind of biodegradable biopolymer with a wide range of sources and low price. With the development of nanotechnology, starch nanoparticles have become a research hotspot due to their unique properties different from native starch. In this paper, the structure characteristics of different sources of starch is introduced, the preparation of starch nanoparticles of top-down and bottom-up method and the advantages and disadvantages of various preparation methods are summarized, the effects of starch nanoparticles on Pickering emulsion stability, performance improvement of composite material, delivery of targeted drug and adsorption of industrial waste water are reviewed, and the application prospect of starch nanoparticles in food, industry, medicine and other fields is prospected in order to provide the theoretical basis for the research of starch nanoparticles.