Abstract: Solid desiccant materials play a significant role in the dehumidification process in many fields. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the advance of composite solid desiccant materials. The main focus lies in the development of silica-based, carbon-based, molecular sieve-based, gel-based, and metal-organic framework (MOF)- based composite solid desiccant materials, as well as their applications, in recent years. Current research gaps are to be further addressed in this sector, together with proposing potential solutions. It was found that traditional composite solid desiccant materials tend to suffer from the issues of deliquescence, low water adsorption capacity, or high energy consumption for regeneration etc. The hygroscopic salts are one of the keys affecting the water adsorption capacity of composite solid desiccant materials, while the composite effects primarily contribute to the stability enhancement and regeneration temperature modification. Traditional composite solid desiccant materials have been extensively applied in various scenarios, such as indoor air conditioning, industrial processing, atmospheric water harvesting, and so on. Compared to traditional composite solid desiccant materials, gel-based and MOF-based composite solid desiccant materials have been recognized as novel materials and attracted increasing attention, since they tend to feature higher water adsorption capacity and lower regeneration temperature. However, their drawbacks of poor mechanical properties, complex preparation processes, and high cost are still to be overcome, before wide application can be implemented. The review outcomes provide a comparative summary of the characteristics of various composite solid desiccant materials and, provide useful guidance to facilitate future material development and application.