Abstract: Porous tungsten is composed of tungsten skeleton and its high proportion of internal pores, which combines the excellent characteristics of refractory metal tungsten and porous materials. It is widely used in aviation, electronics, high temperature and other fields due to its excellent high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, high specific surface area and high permeability. Currently, the main application of porous tungsten is to utilize the functions of pore connectivity, filling, storage and filtration on the basis of the intrinsic characteristics of metal tungsten. Therefore, the key to prepare high-performance porous tungsten and further broaden its application lies in obtaining stable and controllable pores. This paper focuses on the control of porosity characteristics in the preparation process. Firstly, the crucial role of porosity characteristics in the main applications of porous tungsten is elaborated. Then, the effects of powder characteristics, forming methods and sintering system on the pore characteristics of porous tungsten are summarized. Finally, the future research directions and development trend of porous tungsten have been pointed out.