Mesoporous silica is a class of silica material with a large specific surface area, high specific pore volume and meso-sized pores. These properties make mesoporous silica a good choice of support in heterogenous catalysis. In this review, we discuss the functionalization of mesoporous silica, preparations of mesoporous silica supported catalysts and their typical applications in heterogenous catalysis. We highlight the introduction of different functionalities over mesoporous silica and their cooperation to achieve the catalytic turnover. Both the advantages and disadvantages of mesoporous silica as a support in these applications are compared, such as regulating the particle size distribution, dispersion of active species and interaction between active species-support. The review aims to summarize the recent progress on mesoporous silica related catalytic applications and provide valuable insight into the rational design of efficient catalysts.