Rotary axis is considered as the basis for rotational motion. It is a key component in precision measuring, machining and controlling equipments, and it plays a crucial role in high-end manufacturing, aerospace, and optical analysis fields. Each rotary axis has six degree-of-freedom translational and rotational errors. To improve the equipment accuracy, one of the commonly applied solutions is to measure the six degree-of-freedom errors and then to establish the error compensation model to compensate these errors. The progress in methods to measure the multi-degree-of-freedom motion errors in a rotary axis based on laser is reviewed, the principle, pros and cons of these methods are analyzed, and the trend in the field is discussed as well.