The invention discloses a method for preparing natural-cellulose based magnetic porous carbon. The method comprises the steps: firstly, soaking natural cellulose into a strongly-alkaline solution, carrying out activation for 0.5 to 24 hours, then, carrying out water washing until the activated cellulose is neutral, carrying out filtering, carrying out drying, then, putting the activated cellulose into a metal salt solution with a catalytic action, carrying out stirring for 0.5 to 24 hours, carrying out filtering, and carrying out drying, so as to obtain a cellulose/metal salt mixture precursor; and calcining the obtained cellulose/metal salt mixture precursor for 0.5 to 12 hours at the temperature of 400 DEG C to 1,000 DEG C in a reducing atmosphere, naturally cooling the calcination product to room temperature, thereby obtaining the natural-cellulose based magnetic porous carbon. According to the method, the raw materials are cheap and readily available, the equipment and procedures are simple and are easy in operation, and the method is pollution-free, is low in cost and facilitates industrialized and large-scale production; and the prepared composite material has properties of both magnetic nano-metal materials and porous carbon materials, so that the requirements of wave absorbing materials on electromagnetic wave dissipation capability and impedance matching are excellently met, and the electromagnetic wave absorption property is excellent.