Salt stress significantly impacts wheat production, leading to abnormal plant growth and reduced yields. Understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms of wheat's response to salt stress is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate these adverse effects. This review highlights the genes and molecular mechanisms involved in ion transport, signal transduction, and enzyme and hormone regulation in wheat under salt stress. It also discusses recent progress in improving wheat's salt tolerance through breeding, exogenous applications, and microbial pathways. The review emphasizes the importance of combining gene editing and multiple omics techniques to enhance breeding efficiency and addresses potential challenges and prospects in this process. Key findings include the role of various enzymes, organelles, ion transporters, signal transduction pathways, and hormones in wheat's response to salt stress. Additionally, the review explores strategies such as conventional crossbreeding, new breeding techniques, and exogenous applications to improve wheat's salt tolerance.Salt stress significantly impacts wheat production, leading to abnormal plant growth and reduced yields. Understanding the physiological and molecular mechanisms of wheat's response to salt stress is crucial for developing strategies to mitigate these adverse effects. This review highlights the genes and molecular mechanisms involved in ion transport, signal transduction, and enzyme and hormone regulation in wheat under salt stress. It also discusses recent progress in improving wheat's salt tolerance through breeding, exogenous applications, and microbial pathways. The review emphasizes the importance of combining gene editing and multiple omics techniques to enhance breeding efficiency and addresses potential challenges and prospects in this process. Key findings include the role of various enzymes, organelles, ion transporters, signal transduction pathways, and hormones in wheat's response to salt stress. Additionally, the review explores strategies such as conventional crossbreeding, new breeding techniques, and exogenous applications to improve wheat's salt tolerance.