Abstract In current bioinformatics research, spatial transcriptomics (ST) as a rapidly evolving technology is gradually receiving widespread attention from researchers. Spatial domains are regions where gene expression and histology are consistent in space, and detecting spatial domains can better understand the organization and functional distribution of tissues. Spatial domain recognition is a fundamental step in the process of ST data interpretation, which is also a major challenge in ST analysis. Therefore, developing more accurate, efficient, and general spatial domain recognition methods has become an important and urgent research direction. This article aims to review the current status and progress of spatial domain recognition research, explore the advantages and limitations of existing methods, and provide suggestions and directions for future tool development.