Abstract The advantages, such as the mature control method, less volume of the converter and generator, make the doubly fed induction generator system prevalent in the wind power industry. Nevertheless, the doubly fed induction generator is more susceptible to grid faults and disturbances. The instantaneous high voltage fault may occur due to the excessive local reactive power after the doubly fed induction generator system achieving low voltage ride through, and then the wind turbine might be disconnected again. Hence, not only the low voltage ride through but also high voltage ride through capability should be required for the doubly fed induction generator system to meet the grid code requirements. A comprehensive review of the state of the art low voltage ride through and high voltage ride through technologies for the doubly fed induction generator system is presented. Firstly, different types of common low voltage ride through and high voltage ride through techniques are classified according to their features, i.e. auxiliary hardware, linear or nonlinear control strategies etc. The pros and cons of different low voltage ride through and high voltage ride through techniques are given. Furthermore, the latest developments of low voltage ride through and high voltage ride through technologies are introduced. Finally, the future trends of both the low voltage ride through and high voltage ride through technologies are discussed.