Abstract: Electromagnetic nondestructive testing technology is an important method for monitoring the condition of steel wire ropes. This paper summarized electromagnetic testing technology for steel wire ropes, from four parts: electromagnetic testing methods for steel wire ropes, signal preprocessing, feature extraction, qualitative judgment, and quantitative analysis. This paper summarized outlined the research status and related progress of electromagnetic testing technology for steel wire ropes. The impact of different detection techniques on the detection of steel wire rope defects also plored, and from the perspective of signal processing, commonly used noise reduction methods, feature extraction algorithms, and qualitative and quantitative analysis methods were analyzed. The impact of noise such as strand waves and vibrations on steel wire rope defect signals and corresponding noise reduction methods were discussed. On the basis of comparing the advantages and disadvantages of feature extraction algorithms, an effective method for qualitative judgment and quantitative analysis of damage was proposed. Finally, the shortcomings and future development directions of electromagnetic testing technology for steel wire ropes were discussed.