Abstract: Renewable nanocellulose has attracted much attention in recent years. The advantages of nanocellulose include wide sources, diverse preparation methods, biodegradability, safe and non-toxic, high specific surface area, high strength, low density and good thermal stability. The preparation methods of nanocellulose, and the application research progress of 2D membrane material sensors and 3D gel material sensors based on nanocellulosic materials are mainly introduced. The applications of nanocellulose-based sensors in proximity sensing, pH sensing, electrochemical sensing, glucose sensing and ion sensing detection are highlighted. The results show that the sensitivity, mechanical properties, stability, specificity and environmental friendliness of nanocellulose based sensors are better than those prepared by some traditional materials. Nanocellulose based sensors have broad potential applications.