Microwave signal detection and analysis are the key technologies for electrical information systems like communication, radar, electronic warfare. With the rapid development of new information technology, microwave photonic technology combines the advantages of both lightwave and microwave, which is characterized by the advantages of large bandwidth, low loss and anti-electromagnetic interference. In this paper, a comprehensive overview of the microwave photonic measurements, especially photonic-assisted microwave frequency measurement schemes based on frequency-amplitude mapping, frequency-to-time mapping, and Optical channelization was introduced. In addition, the corresponding problems and prospects were briefly summarized.