Autophagy is a degradative process of eukaryotic cell, which plays a vital role in human health. Autophagy imbalance is associated with many diseases. It has been reported that vitamin D can regulate the autophagy in different levels, including induction, nucleation, as well as elongation to maturation and degradation, which affects the occurrence and development of the disease. However, its action mechanism has not been systematically elaborated, and a deeper understanding of the mechanism of vitamin D-regulated autophagy is helpful to guide the diagnosis and treatment of related diseases. The review described the mechanism of vitamin D affecting autophagy to provide theoretical basis for guiding basic and clinical research.