Pressing is the last procedure and the least understood step of semi-hard and hard cheese making. The aim of this paper was to assess the effect of the pressing time and pressure on cheese properties. The chemical composition,the texture and the rheological properties of cheeses made with different pressing parameters were investigated.And their microstructure was also studied by confocal laser microscopy. The results showed that as time and pressure were increased,moisture content of cheese samples decreased,while fat and protein content increased significantly.As the time and pressure increased,texture testing showed that the hardness and chewiness of cheese were significantly increased,while the flexibility was significantly decreased. Rheometer testing showed that the elasticity modulus of cheese increased,while the melting of cheese weakened. Cheese microstructure pictures showed that,with the extension of the pressing time,the protein network was more compact and orderly. With the increase of pressing pressure,a large number of fat globules aggregated. The mechanism of the effect of pressing on the cheese properties was also discussed.