Surface cracks can cause the strength of the composite laminate to decrease. For some critical composite components sensitive to local surface cracks, it is necessary to calculate the residual strength of cracked laminates. The traditional methods to predict the residual strength of laminates are related to the direction of the layup. In this paper, the residual strength of carbon/epoxy laminates with cracks was investigated, anda residual strength prediction method based on the damage morphology was proposed, which was independent of the layup direction. A series of models with cracks of different length and depth was simulated, using cohesive finite elements as prefabricated cracks in the interface. This paper describes the progressive damage process of laminates with surface cracks, and proposes a universal approach to predict the residual strength of cracked laminates. With the parameters of crack geometry and related mechanical property, the residual strength can be easily estimated.