The damping characteristic of HTS magnetic levitation system is related to the stability of levitation, and it is an important research index for dynamics analysis. However, due to the complexity of the system structure and the strong nonlinearity of HTS, it is often difficult to solve the damping calculation model. Therefore, there are few reports on the quantitative research of system damping. In this paper, the damping mechanism of HTS magnetic levitation system is clarified macroscopically by using the method of energy analysis, and the calculation method of equivalent damping coefficient based on energy analysis is given, which is compared with the evaluation method based on traditional vibration theory. At the same time, we also verify the effectiveness of the scheme of controlling system damping through eddy current damper quantitatively, and preliminarily study the influence of setting damper on the HTS magnetic levitation bearing. The research work of this paper not only helps to understand the damping mechanism of HTS magnetic levitation system, but also lays a foundation for further dynamic modeling of the system.