Abstract: The rapid increase of CO₂ content in the atmosphere has led to environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect. The utilization of CO₂ is crucial to achieve the goal of “carbon peak, carbon neutralization”. Catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ is an important method for the selective conversion of CO₂ into methanol and other valuable chemicals. Methanol is an important chemical raw material and can be used as a platform molecule for the synthesis of chemicals and fuels. The key to the catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to methanol is to create low-cost, environmentally friendly and efficient catalysts. In general, copper-based catalysts have been widely studied due to their low cost and effective synthesis of methanol. However, the chemical bond of CO₂ is stable. When the temperature is too low, the C=O bond of CO₂ is difficult to activate and break, and there are side reactions and catalyst deactivation during the reaction. Focus is placed on the mechanism of r-formic acid reaction, RWGS + CO Hydro reaction mechanism and trans-COOH reaction mechanism of CO₂ hydrogenation to methanol. The effects of the properties of the catalyst such as copper-based metal-support structure and oxygen vacancies on the selectivity, stability and activity of the catalyst were summarized, which further provided some insights into its role in the mechanism of formate reaction. The CO₂ activation mode, reaction intermediate binding and reaction mechanism in the hydrogenation process on Cu/ZnO, Cu/ZrO₂ and Cu/ZnO/ZrO₂ catalysts were further summarized. The effects of preparation methods on the structural characteristics, active sites and reduction conditions of Cu-based catalysts were discussed, which provided guidance for the rational design of catalysts with high activity, selectivity and stability.