Abstract: The research progress of preparation of biomass based carbon aerogels based on carbohydrates, phenol-containing biological small molecules and other biomass as carbon precursors was reviewed.The emphasis was put on the preparation and performance of the cellulose, chitosan, lignin and tannin based carbon aerogels. The application situation in catalyst carrier, supercapacitor, adsorbent, fire-resistant materials and other fields was also introduced. The future research on biomass based carbon aerogels was also prospected.