Objective To study the effect of microwave technology on OCC pulp bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. Methods OCC pulp was first treated by EDTA, and then evenly mixed with magnesium sulfate, sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide. The pulp was heated in a 60℃ water bath for 3 minutes, and then heated in a microwave during the hydrogen peroxide bleaching. The influences of alkali ratio (m(NaOH) ∶ m(H2O2)), H2O2 dosage, microwave power and heating time on the pulp brightness(CIE L*) and the COD of raffinate were studied, and compared to those of bleaching with conventional water bath heating. Results When the alkali ratio was 0.2, the H2O2 dosage was 2%, the microwave power was 300 W, the heating time was 150 s, the pulp brightness was increased by 69.3%. Compared to the water bath heating, the pulp brightness was increased by 25.51%, and the numerical value of COD was decreased by 32.43%. Conclusion Microwave technology could not only significantly shorten the bleaching time, improve the bleaching efficiency, but also achieve higher pulp brightness and lower numerical value of COD than bleaching with water bath heating.