Liver is the most common metastatic organ in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Once colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM) occurs, the prognosis will be poor. Therefore early detection of CRLM has a great clinical significance for improving the prognosis of CRLM patients. Surgical resection of primary and metastatic lesion is the only possible curable option for CRLM, translational therapy, interventional therapy and multidisciplinary team also provide more treatment ideas. Long non-coding RNA, cancer stem cells and phosphatidylinositide-3-kinases/protein kinase B signaling pathway reveal the main mechanism of CRLM from different aspects. This article reviews the recent advances in the early diagnosis, treatments and main mechanisms of CRLM.