Starch, as a biodegradable raw material with abundant sources, is widely used in food, medicine, textile and other industries. However, the native starch has low solubility and viscosity in cold water, and it usually needs to be heated into paste for use, which causes inconveniences in application. Cold-water-soluble starch with elevated solubility and viscosity in cold-water, is divided into pre-gelatinized starch and granular cold-water-soluble starch according to the integrity of granular morphology. The two types of modified starch are mainly prepared by physical methods, but their preparation principles are different, and their properties and application range are also different. In this paper, the preparation principle and research status of pre-gelatinized starch and granular cold-water-soluble starch are compared, and the particle morphology, cold water solubility, gelatinization property, thermodynamic property and application of corresponding modified starch are summarized systematically, aiming to provide basis for the development and application of new cold-water-soluble starch.