Objective: To investigate the effective exercise prescription in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for patellofemoral pain (PFP). Design: A network meta-analysis. Data sources: PubMed (including Medline), Embase, Web of Science, PEDro, Clinicaltrials.gov and other resourses for RCTs. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies: RCTs of exercise interventions for PFP with outcomes of pain intensity or functional improvement. Primary outcome measure: Pain intensity is measured by "worst pain in the past week" on a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or Numerical Rating Pain Scale (NRS). Data extraction: Two researchers independently extracted data and assessed the bias of risks. We used Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation to appraise the strength of the evidence. Results: A total of 45 trials with 42,319 patients were included in this network meta-analysis (NMA). For the primary outcomes, all included treatments were superior to a wait-and-see approach: PNF + exercise (SMD -2.88, 95%CIs -4.75 to -1.02), whole body exercise (-1.57, -3.15 to -0.00), hip-and knee-focused exercise therapy (-1.32, -2.57 to -0.06), foot orthoses + exercise (-1.06, -2.92 to -0.06), hip exercise (-1.10, -2.44 to 0.24), knee brace + exercise(-0.91, -2.54 to 0.72), gait retraining exercise (-2.55, -4.72 to -0.37), knee exercise (-0.92, -2.16 to 0.33), knee arthroscopy + exercise (-0.61, -2.44 to 1.22), target exercise (-0.52, -2.38 to 1.33), kinesiotaping + exercise (-0.54, -2.07 to 0.99), education + exercise (-0.47, -2.31 to 1.38), feedback exercise (-0.22, -1.86 to 1.43). Exercise therapy with education (SMD -0.25, 95%CIs -1.76 to 1.26) was better than exercise alone in alleviating pain intensity. Conclusion: The knee and hip combination strength training is highly effective in muscle strength improvement. All treatments in our NMA were superior to nontreatment, we recommend avoiding a wait-and-see approach. Comprehensive therapy based on individual evaluation can effectively improve the symptoms of patients. Key words: biomechanical phenomena; knee; patellofemoral pain; exercise; osteoarthritis;