Ultrafast laser induced magnetization reversal in L10 FePt films with high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy was investigated using single- and double-pulse excitations. Single-pulse excitation beyond 10 mJ cm−2 caused magnetization (M) reversal at the applied fields much smaller than the static coercivity of the films. For double-pulse excitation, both coercivity reduction and reversal percentage showed a rapid and large decrease with the increasing time interval (Δt) of the two pulses in the range of 0–2 ps. In this Δt range, the maximum demagnetization (ΔMp) was also strongly attenuated, whereas the integrated demagnetization signals over more than 10 ps, corresponding to the average lattice heat effect, showed little change. These results indicate that laser induced M reversal in FePt films critically relies on ΔMp. Because ΔMp is determined by spin temperature, which is higher than lattice temperature, utilizing an ultrafast laser instead of a continuous-wave laser in laser-assisted M reversal may reduce the overall deposited energy and increase the speed of recording. The effective control of M reversal by slightly tuning the time delay of two laser pulses may also be useful for ultrafast spin manipulation. The work at the Department of Optical Science and Engineering, Fudan University, was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2016YFA0300703), the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2015CB921403), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 11774064 and 51371052). The work at the Department of Physics, Fudan University, was supported by the National Key Basic Research Program (No. 2015CB921401) and the National Natural Science Foundation (Nos. 11434003 and 11474066) of China.