The reservoir in the Qigu Formation of the Yongjin area, Junggar Basin, is characterized by deep burial, high density, and low permeability, which necessitates hydraulic fracturing to enable industrial-scale oil production. Understanding the physical and mechanical properties of the rock, as well as the factors influencing fracture propagation, is crucial for improving the efficiency of tight oil and gas development. Therefore, the mechanical mechanisms of hydraulic fracture propagation in tight sandstone are investigated in this study through rock mechanics experiments based on a damage model. The results show that the stable propagation pressure increases slightly with the increase of elastic modulus, and the extension length of hydraulic fracture increases with the increase of elastic modulus, but the width of hydraulic fracture decreases with the increase of elastic modulus. The stable propagation pressure and fracture pressure decrease with the increase of Poisson 's ratio, and the width of hydraulic fracture decreases with the increase of Poisson 's ratio, but the influence of Poisson 's ratio is much lower than that of elastic modulus. The peak pressure of the liquid injection point and the stable expansion pressure increase with the increase of tensile strength. The width of hydraulic fracture also increases with the increase of rock tensile strength.