Starch is one of the most abundant natural macromolecules, and is a very important biodegradable material and renewable resource. However, starch is not thermoplastic and can't be melted, by plasticizing and destroying the intramolecular and intermolecular hydrogen bonds in starch, the melting processing and utilization of starch materials can be realized, which has great application potential in the field of packaging materials. In this paper, the latest progress of the influence of small molecule plasticizer on starch thermoplastic processing and properties is introduced, and the influence of small molecule plasticizer on starch plasticizing behavior and processing properties is elaborated, especially the small molecule withhydroxyl polyols and small molecule of amine with amine groups. The research results of graft modification of small molecules, oxidation modification and crosslinking modification on starch processing behavior and mechnical properties are summarized. It is also pointed out that the thermoplastic processing and mechnical performance improvement of starch materials can be achieved by the combination of plasticizer, physical modification and chemical modification.