Abstract: To analyze the influence of defect on magnetization and mechanical properties, a study of the electromagnetic properties of various high temperature superconducting strips containing different types of defects based on the Bean critical state model and the minimum magnetic energy variation method was presented. The magnetostrictive behavior and the stress distribution of the high temperature superconducting strip were numerically simulated. Results show that a horizontal component of the magnetization appears as the defect deviates from the centre of the strip. The strip exhibits a magnetostrictive phenomenon and the maximum stress arises nearby the defect on account of the action of electromagnetic body force. The moment of the maximum tensile stress appears in the magnetic field decreasing stage when a strip contains a surface defect. For the case of an interior defect, the tensile stress in a strip reaches its extreme value at the highest magnetic field. The analysis results indicate the magnetization and mechanical properties of a strip in perpendicular magnetic field have distinct dependence on the dimension and location of the defect.