Objective To investigate the value of diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) in detecting acute intracerebral hemorrhage with 3.0T MR. Methods A total of 105 patients with acute strokes underwent MR examination within 3 days after on set. The detectability and reliability of intracerebral hemorrhage with the DWI b0 sequence was assessed. The results were compared with the gradient-echo (GRE) sequence. The results of the GRE sequence were used as the standard. Results DWI b0 images of 47 cases displayed clearly in 48 acute intracerebral hemorrhage patients. For the detection of acute intracerebral hemorrhage, DWI b0 images had a sensitivity of 97.92%, specificity of 100%, the positive predictive value of 100%, and the negative predictive value of 98.25%. Deoxyhemoglobin-induced hypointense rim was characteristic on DWI b0 images, the next was GRE. Conclusion In the setting of acute stroke, DWI can clearly distinct intracerebral hemorrhage and non-intracerebral hemorrhage with 3.0T MR scanner. With a more rapid and accurate MRI strategy to evaluate acute stroke including DWI, T1WI and T2WI sequences without GRE is helpful in clinical decision making.