•The general structure of spores was introduced.•The formation process of spore was sketched out.•Factors affecting the cold plasma bactericidal were listed.•Mechanism of cold plasma in spore inactivation was summarized. Bacterial spores, one of the main microorganisms, can cause food spoilage and food-borne diseases. However, due to their high resistance to stress, the inactivation of spores has been a pressing issue in the food industry. “Sprout first and inactivate later” is the traditional idea of inactivating spores. However, different germination factors cause different germination effects, which in turn affect the inactivating results. Heat sterilization is a simple and effective sterilization method, but it will destroy the quality and nutrition of food. As an emerging non-thermal sterilization technology, cold plasma (CP) has shown great potential in food sterilization. But the CP inactivating effect and mechanism to spores still need more research and attention. Therefore, the spore structure, formation, and germination were reviewed. The CP sterilization mechanism and its application in spore inactivation were summarized. This review work provides a reference for spore control in food science and industry.