Our recent studies on metal oxide surfaces by noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) are reviewed. We have demonstrated that atom-resolved images of a TiO₂(110) surface can be obtained by NC-AFM. We have also revealed that isolated species of formate ions and hydrogen adatoms on TiO₂(110) can be imaged by NC-AFM. As an example of observation of dynamic behavior of adsorbed molecules by NC-AFM, images of fluctuating molecules of acetate ions at domain boudaries of (2×1)-acetate overlayer on TiO₂(110) are presented. CeO_2−x has been believed to play a crucial role in automotive exhaust catalysis with its special oxygen storage capacity. Surface oxygen atoms at an oxygen-terminated CeO₂(111) surface, oxygen point vacancies, and multiple oxygen vacancies such as triangular defects and line defects were visualized by NC-AFM. Unexpected high mobility of surface oxygen atoms at room temperature was observed on slightly reduced CeO₂(111) with multiple defects. This observation is probably relevant to facile oxidation-reduction cycles of CeO_2−x.