The work aims to review the research progress of conductive adhesives in electronic packaging and prospect the future research direction of conductive adhesives and provide reference for the application of conductive adhesives. From the composition, conductive mechanism and types of conductive adhesives, the key performance requirements and test methods of conductive adhesives in application were emphatically introduced, and the research progress in improving conductivity and stability and reducing curing temperature and cost in recent years was summarized. The modification of the matrix resin in the conductive adhesives and selection of appropriate conductive fillers (shape and composition) could improve the curing conditions of the conductive adhesives, improve their conductivity, adhesion and durability, and meet the requirements for high reliability of device connection in harsh application environment. Compared with the traditional lead-tin solder welding method, conductive adhesives have the characteristics of environmental protection, low connection temperature and high resolution. Therefore, conductive adhesives are suitable for electronic packaging and intelligent packaging. At present, the research direction of conductive adhesives is mainly to improve conductivity, bonding strength and bonding stability. However, in the face of the shortcomings of long curing time, weak resistance to damp heat and high cost, it is still necessary to continuously optimize the composition to meet the practical application requirements.