Abstract: Combined with magnetic property measurements of thin grain-oriented silicon steel sheets annealed to different recrys-tallization stages, the deformation and recrystallization texture and microstructure evolution of the sheets was analyzed by using the electron back-scattering diffraction (EBSD) micro-texture analysis technique and X-ray diffraction texture analysis technique. The results show that the deformation texture transforms from 110001to 111112 about the transverse direction. Meanwhile, it should be noticed that additional crystal rotation about RD which leads to the occurrence of a weak001100 texture near the sheet surface appears in deformed grains, thus the origin of a cube recrystallization texture can be explained. As the annealing temperature increases, there occur abnormal grain growth and changes in magnetic properties, which are bound up with texture evolution including a beneficial 110 -100001 texture and other weak texture components. Taking both abnormal grain growth and texture evolution into consideration, it is deduced that secondary and tertiary recrystallization occur. There exists crystallographic rotation about the001 axis between different kinds of textural components at different recrystallization stages, so the recrystallization texture evolution of the sheets is believed to be driven by the growth dominance of grains having 100 rotational relationship with primary grains and the inhibition effect of the sharp Goss matrix. On the other hand, the abnormal growth of Goss grains induced by the strong advantage of 110 surface energy leads to a sharp Goss texture during tertiary recrystallization after annealing at high temperature for long time.