The demand for functional metal patterning on dielectric surfaces has been growing rapidly, driven by applications in aerospace, consumer electronics, and flexible sensing technologies. As a mask-free and flexible technique, laser manufacturing provides high precision, non-contact processing, and high efficiency, making it ideal for directly fabricating functional metal patterns on various dielectric surfaces. In recent years, significant progress has been made in this field. This review classifies six primary laser manufacturing techniques for metal patterning on dielectric surfaces into two main categories: top-down and bottom-up approaches. These include laser ablation, selective laser sintering, pulsed laser deposition, laser-induced chemical liquid deposition, laser-induced chemical vapor deposition, and laser-assisted electroless plating. The principles, advantages, and recent developments of each technique are discussed, along with an exploration of the technical challenges and future directions for development in this evolving field.