Thermal management is regarded as a core guarantee for the reliability and safety of energy storage systems, as well as a key approach to improving energy efficiency and extending service life. The major thermal management technologies currently applied to energy storage systems were systematically reviewed through a literature review method. The advantages and disadvantages of different cooling technologies, along with methods for enhancing heat transfer performance, were analyzed to provide references for the design of efficient and stable thermal management systems and for thermal management education. The results indicate that air cooling is characterized by a simple structure but limited heat dissipation capability; liquid cooling exhibits high heat capacity while facing potential risks of leakage and corrosion; phase change material cooling enables temperature stabilization but generally suffers from low thermal conductivity; and heat pipe cooling demonstrates excellent heat transfer efficiency at a relatively high cost. The thermal management of energy storage systems is challenged by difficult temperature control under high heat flux conditions, performance degradation during long-term operation, safety risks caused by local overheating, and insufficient intelligence in system design and control. In the future, thermal management technologies are expected to evolve toward composite cooling strategies and material innovations. Optimized designs should be developed by considering system operational requirements and economic efficiency, thereby providing more reliable theoretical support and engineering solutions for energy storage system thermal management.