The men's 50 metre butterfly event at the 2010 Asian Games took place on 16 November 2010 at Guangzhou Aoti Aquatics Centre. There were 33 competitors from 23 countries who took part in this event. Five heats were held, with most containing the maximum number of swimmers (eight). The heat in which a swimmer competed did not formally matter for advancement, as the swimmers with the top eight times from the entire field qualified for the finals.