The invention relates to a method for recovering copper from copper-containing gold-loaded carbon. The method provided by the invention is as follows: a Fe<3+>-NO3<->-Cl<->-H<+> solution system is adopted to perform the four steps of decopperizing by selective oxidation, neutralizing a decopperization solution, extracting with a liquid solvent after neutralization, and oxidizing raffinate, adding an acid and returning for decopperization on the copper-containing gold-loaded carbon under acidic conditions. Compared with the prior art, a combined oxidation reagent selective oxidation decopperization technology is adopted against the defects in the prior art, so that copper in the gold-loaded carbon can be effectively recovered without affecting gold in the gold-loaded carbon. The method provided by the invention has the advantages of mature process technology, easiness in industrialization and the like.