Abstract: Nanocellulose is a kind of nano-sized cellulose extracted from natural cellulose. It not only has the basic characteristics of cellulose, but also has large specific surface area, unique strength and optical properties originated from nano-size. However, the presence of free hydroxyl groups in cellulose is hydrophilic, which reduces the stiffness of nanocellulose materials in humid environments and limits its application fields. Therefore, hydrophobic modification of nanocellulose can expand its scope of application. This article reviewed the methods of hydrophobic modification of nanocellulose in recent years, including physical adsorption modification, esterification/acetylation modification, graft copolymerization, silane coupling agent modification, etc., and summarized the research results of the above methods, as well as the advantages and disadvantages. And the future development direction was prospected in order to provide reference for hydrophobic modification research.