Abstract: Detecion techniques for organic explosives normally used by both laboratory and on-site in forensics were concluded. The techniques were classified as chromatography (gas chromatography and liquid chromatography), mass spectrometry (ambient ionization mass spectrometry and isotope ratio mass spectrometry), chromatography-mass spectrometry combined technology (liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), capillary electrophoresis, ion mobility spectroscopy, spectroscopy (infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and terahertz), and sensor technology (fluorescent sensor, electrochemical sensor and surface plasmon resonance sensor). Additionally, the development direction for future detection technique of organic explosive was discussed (61 referencens cited).