Abstract: Bone metastasis is one of the most common complications of malignant tumors, and early detection and diagnosis have great significance in choosing the best treatment plan. With the rapid development of magnetic resonance, the application and study of whole body diffusion weighted imaging with background suppression (WB-DWIBS) in diagnosing bone metastases from malignant tumors has been performed by researchers both in China and overseas. The sensitivity and accuracy of WB-DWIBS in diagnosing the bone metastases of malignant tumors, and the advantages of the technology compared with x-ray imaging, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, electrical capacitance tomography, and positron emission tomography are reviewed. Since the technique was first reported by Takahara et al. in 2004, studies over the past few years have indicated that WB-DWIBS under low background signal highlights the manifestation of the lesion, thereby greatly increasing the detection ratio for diseased tissues, especially bone metastases. Moreover, the technique was found to have a higher sensitivity and accuracy for detecting bone metastasis in malignant tumors compared with PET. At the same time, DWIBS can also be used to detect primary lesions and metastases in visceral organs and lymph nodes. Therefore, this technique can provide more useful information for determining the best treatment plan. WB-DWIBS is rapid and emits no radiation. It is a new technology for detecting malignant tumors that has the potential to replace PET. As a new technique, WB-DWIBS still has some limitations. With the rapid development of magnetic resonance, WB-DWIBS will show its unique value in application and the prospect of generalized diagnosis of osseous metastatic tumors.