Biological soil crusts are the main cover layer of the soil surface in arid areas, in which the microorganisms play an important role in regulating the climate sensitivity of the carbon cycle in dry areas. At present, there are some controversies over the effects of climate warming on the microbial communities and their respiration of biocrusts. In order to accurately predict the carbon balance in arid areas in the future scenarios, this study summarized the carbon emission patterns of different experimental periods, different seasons, and different types of biocrusts through the warming experiments simulating climate warming, and explored the internal reasons for the differences in carbon emissions based on the analyses of the changes in microbial abundance and organic carbon. Short-term warming (＜ 2 a) led to a significant decrease in mosses or lichens abundance of biocrusts, which increased soil organic carbon content, with a concomitant increase in net carbon emissions depends on soil water content. Long-term warming (＞ 5 a) reduced microbial sensitivity to temperature and humidity, and microbial abundance and composition stabilized, resulting in relatively stable of organic carbon content and net carbon emissions. These results reflect the pattern and causes of carbon emission in biocrusts, but the internal regulatory mechanisms involved by microorganisms are still unclear. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on exploring the response mechanism of crusts microbial carbon metabolism to warming in the future, which provides an important theoretical basis for assessing carbon balance in arid areas.