Abstract: Acute liver failure （ALF） progresses rapidly and yields high mortality rate. At present, no definitive treatment is available for ALF. The clinical manifestations of ALF include hepatic dysfunction, coagulopathy and encephalopathy etc., which can rapidly cause multiple organ failure. During recent years, certain progress has been made in the early diagnosis and evaluation, intensive care treatment, artificial liver and emergent liver transplantation for ALF. The survival rate of patients with ALF has been significantly improved. In this article, research progresses on the diagnosis and treatment of ALF were reviewed.