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The utilization of nanoparticles (NPs) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has a lot of benefits however, the usage of bare NPs still has a few drawbacks, including instability, agglomeration and aggregation, which can cause pore channel obstruction and quick sedimentation resulting in low oil recovery. Nonetheless, surface modification of NPs can circumvent these problems however, an account of leading approaches for surface modification and their effect on improving EOR effectiveness interconnected with NPs microscopic features, with the aim of providing a guide for future efforts in this area is essential. Here, a critical review on surface modification of NPs to improve oil recovery mechanisms is presented. Surface modification of NPs can be classified into two categories: in-situ surface modification and post-synthesis surface modification, both of which involve grafting, coupling, surfactant usage, and esterification …