Autophagy, a process for the degradation of protein aggregates and dysfunctional organelles, is required for cellular homeostasis and cell survival in response to stress and is implicated in endogenous protection. Ischemic preconditioning is a brief and nonlethal episode of ischemia, confers protection against subsequent ischemia-reperfusion through the up-regulation of endogenous protective mechanisms. Emerging evidence shows that autophagy is associated with the protective effect of ischemic preconditioning. This review summarizes recent progress in research on the functions and regulations of the autophagy pathway in preconditioning-induced protection and cellular survival.