Globally, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease with an incidence rate ranging from 6%–35% in adult populations. NAFLD pathogenesis is closely related to insulin resistance (IR) and the genetic susceptibility of acquired metabolic stress liver injury. Similarly, the gut microbiota in NAFLD is being revaluated by scientists as the gut and liver influence each other via the gut-liver axis. This review focuses on the main mechanisms behind the intestinal microbiota promotion of NAFLD occurrence and development, and outlines new strategies to target the intestinal microbiota to facilitate NAFLD therapies. The enterohepatic circulation of bile acids (BAs), deficient intestinal barriers and increased permeability, and excessive gut microbial metabolites all contribute to NAFLD deterioration. Equally, lifestyle and diet therapy, antibiotics, probiotics and prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may provide reliable and safe treatment perspectives for NAFLD.