A battery cover latching mechanism (300) for latching a battery cover (20) on a housing (10) of a portable electronic device. The battery cover has a fixing portion (204) defining a hollow (206) therein. The latching mechanism includes a button (30), a locking member (40) and an elastic member (60). The button (30) has an inclined surface (308). The locking member has a claw (408) engaged with the hollow and a slanted surface (414) that resists the inclined surface. The button is mounted in the housing and is movable along a first direction. When the button moves along the first direction, the locking member is driven to slide along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, so as to move the claw from a first position where the claw engages in the hollow to a second position where the claw releases from the hollow.