Drilling is regarded as the most complex manufacturing process compared with other conventional machining processes. During the drilling process, most of the energy consumed in metal cutting is converted to heat and increases temperature considerably. The resulting thermal phenomena are important since they influence the mode of deformation, the final metallurgical state of the machined surface, and the rate of tool wear. Hence, understanding the temperature characteristics in the drilling process is crucial for enhancing the drill performance and process efficiency. Extensive efforts have been conducted to measure and control the drilling tool temperature successively. However, very few studies have been conducted from a comprehensive perspective to review all the efforts. To address this gap in the literature, a rigorous review concerning the state-of-the-art results and advances in drilling tool temperature is presented in this paper by referring to the wide comparisons among literature analyses. The multiple aspects of drilling tool temperature are precisely detailed and discussed in terms of theoretical analysis and thermal modeling, methods for temperature measuring, the effect of cutting parameters, tool geometries and hole-making methods on temperature and temperature controlling by different cooling methods. In conclusion, several possible future research directions are discussed to offer potential insights for the drilling community and future researchers.