Abstract: To realize the objectives of urban carbon peak strategies and to foster green, low-carbon development, there is an urgent need to develop precise carbon accounting methodologies at the city level, providing the necessary theoretical foundation. Through a bibliometric approach, we visually analyzed urban carbon accounting literature from the Web of Science core collection spanning the past ten years. By examining the research hotspots in urban carbon accounting, we extracted commonly used and emerging accounting methods and constructed a timeline to explore the development trajectory of urban carbon accounting. This synthesis culminated in the delineation of five predominant urban carbon accounting methods: the land-use type approach, the input-output method, life cycle assessment, emission source accounting, and model-based techniques. We further analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, and feasibility of each method. It is noteworthy that, except for the life cycle assessment, all other methods can be directly applied to urban carbon accounting. The study also pinpointed key challenges in the advancement of urban carbon accounting, including the incompleteness of accounting, the lack of precision in inventory data, the negligence of interconnections between model-driven factors, and the paucity of research on smaller urban scales. The findings reveal that a single urban carbon accounting method is inadequate for accurately calculating a city's carbon emissions. Consequently, adopting a multifaceted approach that integrates various accounting methods and leverages innovative technologies such as remote sensing and intelligent platforms will significantly enhance the accuracy of urban carbon accounting. This integration also charts a new course for future research in the field.