As an advanced processing technique,picosecond laser processing achieves high precision and high efficiency of micro-processing on a variety of materials due to its special properties such as “cold processing”,high repetition rate and high pulse energy,etc.A wide range of applications and prospects are shown for picosecond laser application in fields of precision machinery,surface engineering,and biomedicine,etc.In the paper,the research progress of the picosecond laser is reviewed in the micro-hole processing,cutting and scribing of metal sheets and hard and brittle materials as well as the surface modification of materials such as strontium titanate and zirconia,and a discussion is made about the existing problems and development direction in picosecond laser processing from the aspect of process parameters optimization and the improvement of ancillary equipment,etc.