Abstract: Polysaccharide is a kind of abundant, degradable and renewable natural macromolecules, which is widely used in food, medicine, papermaking, leather and other industries. However, the lack of specific detectable groups in molecular structures of polysaccharides results in the difficulty in their qualitative/quantitative analysis. Fluorescent labeling technology can endow polysaccharides with detectable fluorescent groups, which is an important way to achieve the visualization of polysaccharides during their application and further investigate their function and action mechanisms. This paper reviewed the common fluorescent labeling methods of polysaccharides, including the fluorescent labeling methods by introducing fluorescein into the hydroxyl, carboxyl and aldehyde groups of polysaccharides, and the autofluorescence method by constructing conjugated structures through chemical reactions. The principles, labeling conditions and applications of different fluorescent labeling methods were described in detail. The applications of fluorescent polysaccharides in the fields of fluorescent tracing, bioimaging, food monitoring, water quality monitoring and intelligent packaging materials were summarized and prospected.