Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a common cause of stroke and dementia. Advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques can provide more sensitive assessments of the extent of CSVD damage, thereby facilitating disease monitoring and providing more insights into the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. This review first summarizes the latest applications of structural MRI in CSVD, including diffusion MRI and quantitative MRI techniques. Subsequently, the review introduces the application of advanced MRI techniques for assessing cerebrovascular function and abnormalities associated with the small cerebral arteries in CSVD patients.