The atomic magnetometer is currently one of the most-sensitive sensors and plays an important role in applications for detecting weak magnetic fields. This review reports the recent progress of total-field atomic magnetometers that are one important ramification of such magnetometers, which can reach the technical level for engineering applications. The alkali-metal magnetometers, helium magnetometers, and coherent population-trapping magnetometers are included in this review. Besides, the technology trend of atomic magnetometers was analyzed for the purpose of providing a certain reference for developing the technologies in such magnetometers and for exploring their applications.

Based on a low-noise cesium spectral lamp, a high-sensitivity self-oscillating cesium atomic magnetometer with a wide operating temperature range has been developed, solving problems with existing sensors such as a limited operating temperature range and difficult startup at low temperatures. The temperature feedback mechanism is used to make adjustments to any fluctuations in the cesium lamp’s excitation source in real time, improving the magnetometer’s stability and operating temperature range. Herein, the design and optimization of the cesium atomic magnetometer are presented, and a prototype of the magnetometer is described. The quantum limit sensitivity of the cesium atomic magnetometer is estimated by evaluating the intrinsic relaxation rate in the geomagnetic field. A test demonstrates that the cesium atomic magnetometer’s sensitivity in the geomagnetic background is around $140\mathrm{f}\mathrm{T}/\sqrt{\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}}$ at 1 Hz at room temperature, and the operating temperature range is from −50 °C to 70 °C, surpassing most of the commercial products of its kind in terms of sensitivity and operating temperature range.

Free induction decay (FID) optically pumped magnetometers are among the most sensitive quantum sensors available for high-precision magnetic field measurements. This review summarizes recent advances in FID magnetometers, which represent a critical technological route that suppresses systematic errors by temporally separating atomic polarization from magnetic field detection. This review covers light-modulated optical pumping schemes (such as the Bell–Bloom mode), radio-frequency excitation schemes, and magnetic-field-enhanced pumping schemes. Key technological developments, including chip-scale MEMS fabrication, optical multipass architectures, advanced frequency estimation algorithms, and error suppression methods, are also discussed. Finally, emerging trends toward higher integration, environmental robustness, and intelligent signal demodulation are highlighted. These trends provide insights into the development of next-generation high-performance quantum sensors and their growing role in biomedical and geophysical applications, as well as in fundamental scientific research.