Abstract: Subjected to the influence of multiple coupled thermal sources, CNC machine tools exhibit non-uniform temperature distributions across their components, leading to structural thermal expansion and the generation of thermal errors that severely degrade machining accuracy. Firstly, this review examines mainstream design and modeling methods for preventing and compensating thermal errors in CNC machine tools. Secondly, based on the structural composition of CNC systems, methods for thermal stability analysis and design are categorized and summarized. Thirdly, various temperature measurement techniques and the fundamental principles and approaches for optimizing sensor placement are also reviewed. Finally, dominant strategies for thermal error modeling and compensation are systematically presented. Building on the current research progress in thermal analysis, error measurement, modeling, and compensation, the paper identifies key limitations in existing thermal management practices and discusses future directions for improvement.