Abstract: The conversion of methanol to olefins (MTO), as a non-petroleum route to get valuable chemicals from multifarious carbon resources such as coal, natural gas and biomass, has attracted extensive attentions in recent years. The catalytic performance of acidic zeolites used in MTO is closely related to their framework structure and acidic properties; a clear understanding on this relation is of benefits to the development of better zeolite catalysts and improvement of current processes for MTO. Therefore, in this paper, we attempt to make a review on the recent research progresses in the effect of framework structure and acidity of zeolites on their catalytic performance in MTO. The review was focused on the difference of various zeolites in the hydrocarbon pool species, reaction pathway and catalytic kinetics; especially, the relation between the framework structure and acidic properties of zeolites and their catalytic performance in MTO was expatiated.