Crude oil is one of the most widely used energy and industrial raw materials that is crucial to the world economy, and is used to produce various petroleum products. However, crude oil often spills during extraction, transportation and use, causing negative impacts on the environment. Thus, there is a high demand for products to remediate leaked crude oil. Among them, oleophilic and hydrophobic adsorbents can absorb crude oil through thermal effects and are research hotspots. In this review, we first present an overview of wettability theory, the heating principles of various thermal effects, and the theory of reducing crude oil viscosity by heating. Then we discuss adsorbents based on different heating methods including the photothermal effect, Joule heating effect, alternating magnetic field heating effect, and composite heating effect. Preparation methods and oil adsorption performance of adsorbents are summarized. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of various heating methods are briefly summarized, as well as the prospects for future research.