Lakes are important for ensuring the development of the regional economy and ecological security. Based on MODIS and Landsat TM/OLI remote sensing images captured in 2005-2015 and a Combined Water Index (CWI), this paper extracted information on changes in the temporal and spatial characteristics and driving forces for lake areas in Xinjiang during past 11 years in different seasons (April, July and September). The results showed that over this time period, the area of the lakes exhibited an increasing trend. The largest surface area usually occurred in April, and the lowest value was measured in September. The lake shrinkage area in Xinjiang occurred mainly in Northern Xinjiang and the northeastern region of Southern Xinjiang, whereas the lake expansion area was concentrated in Eastern Xinjiang. Seasonal changes in Manas, Kanas, Barkol, Arkatag, Arik and Ebinur Lakes showed higher trends. Extracted the lake area based on the MODIS and TM/OLI image were analyzed, and both had a good corresponding relationship. The minimum R² was 0.548, and maximum RMSE was 44.1km². Therefore, it was feasible to use MODIS to extract lake area. These changes in lake area resulted from both natural factors and human activities, and coupled effects greatly accelerated local environmental changes.