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The synthesis of primary amines via the reductive amination of alcohols involves a hydrogen-borrowing or hydrogen-transfer mechanism, which consists of three main steps: alcohol hydroxyl dehydrogenation, carbonyl imidization, and imine hydrogenation. Heterogeneous catalysts are widely used for this reaction because of their high performance and amenability to separation and reuse. However, the efficiency of reductive amination is limited by the dehydrogenation step, which is severely affected by the competitive adsorption of NH3. We hope to improve the efficiency of reductive amination by increasing dehydrogenation efficiency. Therefore, in this overview, we introduce the research progress of alcohol reductive amination reaction catalyzed by heterogeneous metal catalysts, focusing on methods of enhancing dehydrogenation efficiency by screening the metal component and the acidity/alkalinity of the support. Finally, we propose some new strategies for the preparation of catalysts from the perspective of overcoming the competitive adsorption of NH3 and speculate on the design and synthesis of novel catalysts with high performance in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]