The Yarlung Zangbo River is located in the southern Tibetan Plateau. Loess since the geological history and modern aeolian sand dunes are widely developed in the basin, bearing rich information on the aeolian processes and environmental evolution. In this work, we reviewed the main research progress of aeolian deposits in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin in recent years, and discussed the distribution characteristics, accumulation age, sediment characteristics and provenance and the possible formation mechanism of aeolian deposits and the history of aeolian activity. The results show that loess is mainly developed on the river’s terraces and some of the hilltops, and mostly formed since the last glacial maximum and mainly developed since Marine Isotope Stage 1 (about 14 ka BP), while aeolian sand deposit is mainly developed in the river’s wide valley, with relatively short accumulation time. The sediment particles mainly underwent mechanical transport and physical weathering, but chemical weathering was weak. Although the physical and chemical properties of sediments show some spatial changes, there still exist obvious local characteristics, which are closely related to the nearby surface sediments. Under the background of aeolian source, the local-source genesis of loess is generally recognized. The surface loose material at the bottom of valley is main material source of aeolian deposits. The evolution of aeolian activity is relatively complex. In addition to the regional climate change, the local environment is also an important factor affecting the aeolian activity and its regional difference. Based on the previous studies, we suggest that the systematic study on the physical and chemical properties of aeolian sediments, climate change since the Holocene and the impact of dust emission on human living environment should be strengthened in the future research.