Thermally stimulated depolarization current technique can provide information on defect types that exist in the material systems, such as space charges, dipoles, trap charges and so on. Through TSDC spectral analysis, the properties of dipoles and movable ions, as well as activation energy, relaxation time and charged particle concentration, and other microscopic parameters, can be investigated to better understand the physical nature related to defects. This paper introduces the current application status of TSDC technique in inorganic materials reported at home and abroad. The research results and recent developments of TSDC technique in linear dielectrics, nonlinear dielectrics and ceramic polymer composites are summarized, in order to reveal the inner correlation between defects and properties in inorganic materials. It is expected to expand the application of TSDC technique in inorganic materials and provide new insight for the research on the microscopic mechanism of inorganic materials.