The invention discloses a method for promoting microbes to synthesize docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by an exogenous additive factor. The method comprises the following steps of: inoculating the microbes into a fermentation culture medium for fermentation to synthesize the DHA, adding the exogenous additive factor into the fermentation culture medium before the fermentation synthesis, and/or adding a precursor matter for synthesizing fatty acid during the fermentation synthesis, wherein the microbes may be any one of thraustochytrium, schizochytrium and crypthecodium cohnii; the exogenous additive factor is any one or the combination of several of acetic acid, citric acid and simvastatin; and the precursor matter for synthesizing the fatty acid is the acetic acid. In the invention, under simple and effective fermentation control, substrate conversion efficiency is improved, operation is simple, no extra labor and equipment are added, and the synthesizing concentration and production strength of a target product can be improved by just relatively low additive investment, so that production cost is reduced. And the method is pollution-free, increases no manpower and material resources, reduces the cost, is simple and convenient and creates economical benefit.