Abstract: Winter cover crops were proved to be useful to improve soil fertility and the ecological environment and the study of the effects of winter cover crops on soil physical and chemical properties and microbiological properties could provide data support for the promotion of winter cover crops in North China Plain. Taking winter fallow as control (CK), a pot experiment with three cover crops, Vicia villosa (Vr), Orychophragmus violaceus (Ov) and Brassica campestris (Bc), planting in cinnamon soil was conducted to study the effects of winter cover crops on soil physical and chemical properties, microbial biomass and enzyme activity. The results show that the biomass of winter cover crops followed the order of Vr>Bc>Ov. Compared with CK, winter cover crops increased soil moisture, available phosphorus, soil microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content significantly (P<0.05). Additionally, soil alkaline phosphatase, invertase and urease activities were also increased. The content of available phosphorus under Ov were highly promoted by 33.3% (P<0.05). Soil moisture in Bc was significantly increased by 16.7%, while soil bulk density was reduced significantly by 16.8% (P<0.05). In addition, microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, microbial biomass phosphorus, soil alkaline phosphatase, invertase and urease activities were increased by 30.5%, 32.3%, 85.4%, 11.4%, 17.7% and 21.7%, respectively. Considering winter cover crop biomass and its influence on soil physical and chemical properties, soil microbial biomass and enzyme activity comprehensively, Brassica campestris is the best winter cover crop followed by Orychophragmus violaceus and Vicia villosa in the North China Plain.