•The aroma-active compounds of ‘Keitt’ mango juice produced in China were identified.•The changes of 12 major aroma-active compounds during processing were characterized.•Quantitative descriptive analysis was applied to validate the sensory differences.•This work would help to understand aroma determinants during mango processing. The commercial mango cultivar Keitt lacks a theoretical foundation for aroma control during processing. To discriminate the aroma-active compounds in fresh mango juice, odor activity value (OAV) and detection frequency analysis (DFA) were used collaboratively. A total of 12 components were identified as major aroma-active compounds, among which 2,4-dimethylstyrene was firstly confirmed as an aroma compound in mango. The changes of aromatic compounds during pasteurization and high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) sterilization were further studied. Quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was applied to validate the sensory differences. Principal component analysis (PCA) based on aroma compound variation coincided with the overall note. QDA demonstrated that fresh mango juice was the most accepted, followed by HHP and pasteurized juices. The finding might be well correlated with the differences in 6 odor notes. This work would help to better understand and control the critical aroma determinants for mango juice processing.