Abstract Recent advancement in the micro-scale and nano-scale electronics systems, the demand of an innovative solution for the thermal management to dissipate the high amount of heat flux generated have become more rigorous to ensure good reliability of the devices. Micro-channel heat sink has been introduced to dissipate the heat flux with capacity of 10 MW m−2, which providing an ideal solution in the thermal management technology. Researches have been done experimentally or numerically to investigate effect of different geometric designs of micro-channel heat sinks to promote better heat transfer between micro-channel walls and cooling fluid. Other than micro-channel geometric design, type of cooling fluids and two-phase flow boiling are important issues in the micro-channel based thermal management system. In addition, applications of nano-fluids in the micro-channel heat sink are also highlighted which helps in improving the thermal conductivity of the coolant and leads to better heat dissipation rate. In addition, applications of micro-channel in the engineering sector such as solar cell, fuel cell and medical devices are reviewed. For the literature, implementation of micro-channel in the electronic devices as a thermal management solution is highly recommended due to its ability to protect and prolong the lifespan of electronic devices.