Objective To explore the feasibility of applying MRI cranial surface locating device in localization of small intracranial space-occupying lesions before the surgeries. Methods Thirty patients with small intracranial space-occupying lesion were localized by MRI cranial surface locating device before the surgeries. The clinical accuracy was verified during the surgeries and the results were compared with cases without using the device. Results According to the verifications during the surgeries , 30 cases which used MRI cranial surface locating device showed much higher accuracy than that using the traditional method. Conclusions MRI cranial surface locating device can precisely delineate the surgical target area. The device is easy to operate and also can help to design the rational surgical approach with minimum injuries , significantly improve accuracy of locating small intracranial space-occupying lesions and it is safe , effective and worthy of widely used clinically.