In order to improve the sintering performance of laterite nickel ore, based on the analysis of the mineralization properties of laterite nickel ore, the effects of moisture, anthracite ratio, alkalinity, burden distribution mode and anthracite size on sintering performance are studied, the sintering indexes before and after optimization are compared and analyzed, and the relevant optimization mechanism is revealed from process mineralogy. The results show that when the mixture moisture is 18.5%, the proportion of anthracite is 7.2%, and the alkalinity is 1.6; when the segregation of burden distribution and anthracite size of 1 to 5 mm are adopted, the drum strength of the sinter is 58.02%, the yield rate is 75.06%, the utilization coefficient of the sintering machine is 0.91 t/(m²·h), and the solid fuel consumption is 131.74 kg/t. Process mineralogy studies show that the optimized microstructure of sinter is transformed from a macroporous thin-walled structure to a macroporous thick-walled structure; while hercynite is transformed from flaky to granular, the hercynite grains are interconnected, the microstructure is more compact, and the strength is greatly improved.