Day surgery dates back to 1909, when it was first performed by British paediatricians. Anesthesia management for day surgery requires quick onset, early recovery, rapid recovery, and few perioperative adverse reactions. Ensuring the medical safety of patients is the primary condition for the gradual implementation of day surgery. With the continuous development of medical level, the applicable field of day surgery has gradually expanded, and new concepts and progress have also emerged in anesthesia management. This article summarizes the relevant research at home and abroad, and reviews the new progress of anesthesia for day surgery from three aspects: preparation before anesthesia, selection of anesthesia methods, and recovery after anesthesia, in order to provide a reference for anesthesia management of day surgery.