The Wely semimetal WTe ₂exhibits significant spin-orbit coupling characteristics and can generate unconventional spin current with out-of-plane polarization, which has become a hotspot in recent years. Meanwhile, WTe ₂also has high charge-spin conversion efficiency, allowing perpendicular magnetization to be switched deterministically without the assistance of an external magnetic field, which is critical for the high-density integration of low-power magnetic random-access memories. The purpose of this paper is to review the recent advances in the research on spin orbit torque in heterostructures composed of WTe ₂and ferromagnetic layers, focusing on progress of research on the detection and magnetization switching in the spin orbit torque of heterojunctions composed of WTe ₂prepared by different methods (e.g. mechanical exfoliation and chemical vapor deposition) and ferromagnetic layers such as conventional magnets (e.g, FeNi and CoFeB, etc.) and two-dimensional magnets (e.g. Fe ₃GeTe ₂, etc.). Finally, the prospect of related research is discussed.