The magnetic coagulant/flocculant has attracted wide attention in the water treatment field due to its good coagulation effect, strong magnetic responsiveness and high solid-liquid separation efficiency. The purpose of the review is to summarize the application progress of the magnetic coagulant/flocculant in recent years, including the treatment of turbidity, heavy metals wastewater, dye wastewater, algae wastewater, oily wastewater and other types of wastewater. Magnetic coagulant/flocculant has shown great application potential in various water treatment. The analysis and prospect of the future research trend of magnetic coagulants/flocculants has been put forward with regard to the current bottlenecks in the application field, including the material selection, property analysis, adaptability, floc analysis and safety risk of the magnetic coagulant/flocculant.