Objective To identify literature on early mobilization in patients undergoing colorectal surgery, and to provide reference for clinical practice. Methods A scoping review was undertaken.The online databases including PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Ovid, Scopus, CNKI, Wanfang Data, and SinoMed were searched for literature published in Chinese or English from database inception to August, 2022. Results Twenty publications met inclusion criteria.Early mobilization included not only in-bed activities and out-of-bed mobilization, but also multimodal exercise (resistance exercise, aerobic exercise and balance exercise, etc.), physiotherapy, and activities of daily living ability （ADL） training.Early mobilization should be started as early as possible if the patient is stable.It could begin at 30 minutes after the patient transferred back to the ward.Amount, frequency and duration of mobilization should be dynamically adjusted according to the patient′s condition.The safety and feasibility of early mobilization had been confirmed, but the effectiveness should be further studied. Conclusion Early mobilization may be conducted using various strategies and is safe and feasible after colorectal surgery.Future studies need to develop precise intervention strategies by considering patients′characteristics such as age and degree of frailty.Meanwhile, time, workforce, and cost-effectiveness should also be weighed to promote implementation of early mobilization in accelerated postoperative recovery program.