[Abstract] Autophagy, as an important intracellular metabolic pathway, has been proved to be ubiquitous in many kinds of cells. Its functional impairment can easily cause lots of diseases, such as cancer, leukemia, liver disease, diabetes and heart disease. In particular, autophagy is important for the development, differentiation and regulation of immune function of T lymphocytes. Abnormal autophagy of T lymphocytes can cause immune dysfunction and lead to diseases, such as inflammation, infection and autoimmunity. In view of the important role of autophagy in regulating T lymphocyte function and disease, this article illustrates the research progress on autophagy regulating the homeostasis, survival, proliferation, senescence, metabolism, immune function of T lymphocytes and many diseases, including tumors, in recent years.