Abstract: This study aims to solve the problems of low gold recovery and poor gold exposure in bio-oxidation and cyanidation leach residues through systematic analysis of the mineral composition and gold occurrence mode of the leach residues. Three recovery processes were compared: direct cyanidation, roasting–cyanidation, and activated flotation. The results show that gold in the leach residues primarily exists in the form of sulfides and gangue inclusions, with metallic minerals accounting for 26.78 % and non-metallic minerals for 73.22 %. The total gold grade is 1.57 g/t, with encapsulated gold accounting for 93.64 %, of which 78.92 % is sulfide-encapsulated gold. Under the grinding condition of −38.5 μm, the gold leaching rate of direct cyanidation is only 2.55 %, indicating low gold exposure and poor recovery. To improve this situation, roasting pretreatment is used and effectively oxidizes sulfides, significantly enhancing gold leaching, with the cyanidation leaching rate increasing to 28.66 %. Moreover, activated flotation （−38.5 μm grinding + 15 kg/t sulfuric acid activation） effectively removes the hydrophilic film on the mineral surface, improves the flotation behavior of gold–sulfide associations, and ultimately achieves a gold recovery rate of 80.12 %. This study shows that the activated flotation process balances both gold exposure and enrichment, offering significant potential for efficient recovery of gold from bio-oxidation and cyanidation leach residues. By comparing the recovery efficiency of different processes, this study provides an effective technical route for the efficient recovery and resource utilization of gold-bearing leach residues, as well as theoretical support for process optimization and industrial application.