Immunotherapy provides new methods for head and neck cancer, including cancer vaccines, cytokines, immune cell activation and immune checkpoint regulators and so on. Immune checkpoint inhibitors have achieved significant survival benefits, and programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) inhibitors pembrolizumab and nivolumab have been approved for second-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic head and neck cancer. Other immunotherapies are in clinical trials and need to be further evaluated for safety and efficacy.