Dust aerosols in the atmosphere have a strong impact on the climate system by interacting with solar radiation and participating in cloud formation. In the troposphere, dust aerosols are usually heterogeneous mixtures of various components, and their impact on climate can be fully understood only based on a detailed understanding of the physical and chemical properties of individual dust particles. The current understanding of atmospheric dust aerosols based on optical methods in the past 20 years is reviewed. The research achievements of optical techniques such as electron microscope, lidar, and single-particle mass spectrometry are summarized, the observation and analysis techniques based on scanning electron microscope and energy spectrum, polarization characteristics, and asymmetric factors are briefly introduced, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The morphology and mixing state of dust aerosol are summarized, and the main waysof their participation in atmospheric physical and chemical processes are presented as well. The optical properties, hygroscopic behavior, and nucleation ability of polluted dust, all of which have important implications for climate change and prediction, are also discussed. It is well known that various aerosol particles from different sources lead to complex mixtures of dust aerosols in the atmosphere, so how to combine accurate single-particle analysis with fast response online detection technology will be the focus of future atmospheric detection research. And it is believed that these findings will be further extended to the study of the environmental and climate impacts of aerosols, as well as human health risk assessment.