Abstract: Microcapsule phase change materials (MPCM) are prepared by encapsulating phase change materials through microencapsulation technology and are capable of storing or releasing large amounts of thermal energy, which has good application prospects in many fields. However, MPCM still have problems in practical applications such as poor thermal conductivity which seriously limits their applications. So more and more microcapsule thermal conductivity modification methods have been studied to enhance thermal conductivity. This paper summarized the thermal conductivity modification methods of microcapsule shells by describing the principles and characteristics of modification methods such as Pickering emulsion, surface grafting, chemical plating and physical doping. And the relevant progress of microcapsules in the fields of thermoregulation was introduced. Finally, the research direction was mentioned for MPCM of shells thermal conductivity modification, and the future prospects of phase change microcapsules in the fields of thermoregulation were envisioned.