A method for the preparing 20 (R)-ginseniside Rg3 includes dissolving panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) with water, adding acids (hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid, acetic acid, glacial acetic acid, formic acid and the like) to adjust the pH to be 1 to 3, heating and returning the mixture for 30 minutes to 60 minutes, recycling an acid liquor and concentrating the acid liquor into paste, and drying the pasted liquor to obtain coarse converted products; and performing silica-gel column chromatography on the coarse converted products, performing gradient elution on chloroform-methanol-water, collecting an eluent, performing tracking detection through thin layer chromatography (TLC) compared with the ginseniside Rg3, merging flow parts mainly containing the ginseniside Rg3, recycling solvents with the amount two times of the amount of the pseudo-ginseng saponin before transformation, performing standing and filtration, and drying filter cakes to obtain the 20 (R)-ginseniside Rg3. Tested by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the content of the 20 (R)-ginseniside Rg3 is larger than 90%. The method for preparing the 20 (R)-ginseniside Rg3 has the advantages of being simple, low in cost, high in product purity, and suitable for industrial production.