The invention discloses a water-based paint remover applied to zipper production and a preparation method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of paint cleaning. The water-based paint remover is characterized by consisting of the following components in parts by mass: 20-30 parts of a main solvent, 25-35 parts of a cosolvent, 10-20 parts of an activating agent, 3-5 parts of an emulsifying agent, 8-10 parts of a penetrating agent, and 20-25 parts of deionized water, wherein the main solvent is one of or a combination of two or more of the solvents including N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, butylcellosolve, propylene carbonate, dimethyl sulfoxide, benzaldehyde, and methyl methacrylate; the cosolvent is one of or a combination of two or more of the solvents including Y-butyrrolactone, benzyl alcohol, ethanol, and propanetriol; and the activating agent is one of formic acid, acetic acid, oxalic acid and salicylic acid. The water-based paint remover disclosed by the invention can remove paint on a zipper paint spraying pot and a zipper head at a normal temperature, is noncorrosive to equipment, does not pollute the environment and generate wastewater, and can be used repeatedly.