In this study, aerobic decolorization and degradation of azo dye Acid Orange G (AOG) by both suspended growing cells and immobilized cells of a yeast strain Candida tropicalis TL-F1 were studied. The effects of different parameters on decolorization of AOG by both growing suspended and immobilized strain TL-F1 were investigated. Furthermore, a possible decolorization mechanism of AOG was proposed through analyzing metabolic intermediates using UV-vis and high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) methods. Strain TL-F1 could decolorize AOG in both liquid and solid mediums through degradation. The optimal conditions for decolorization with suspended growing cells of strain TL-F1 were as follows: 6-10 g/L sucrose, 5-7 g/L urea, a parts per thousand yen6 % (v/v) inoculation size, a parts per thousand yen160 rpm, 35-40 A degrees C, and pH 5.0-6.0; and those for immobilized cells, the conditions were as follows: 4-6 g/L glucose, 0.2-0.4 g/L urea, 6-10 g/L (wet cell pellets) inoculation size, a parts per thousand yen160 rpm, 35-40 A degrees C, and pH 5.0-7.0. Results of UV-vis scanning spectra suggested that AOG was decolorized through biodegradation, and the possible pathway was proposed through the results of HPLC-MS analysis and related literature. This is a systematic research on aerobic decolorization and degradation of AOG by both suspended and immobilized cells of a C. tropicalis strain.