Ultrafast laser direct writing (ULDW) can selectively induce threedimensional modifications inside transparent materials and has been widely used to write crystallite structures in glass, which enables the preparation of various optoelectronic devices for the optical storage, waveguide lasers, photonic circuits and integrated photonic chips. The principle of ultrafast laser induced crystallization in glass and the generation mechanism of selforganized periodic structures were briefly summarized. And the recent research progress on ultrafast laser induced threedimensional crystallization in glass, and the control of crystal morphology, structures and optical properties via controlling the laser parameters and glass composition were reviewed. The applications in nonlinear devices, optical storage, and lasers were also discussed.