Knowledge of the uplift history and evolution process of the Cenozoic Tianshan Mountains (TMs) provides important insights for inland Asia geodynamic models and paleoclimate reconstructions. Although uplift rates derived from conventional methods are difficult to compare due to their time scale differences and temporal discontinuities, the bedrock channel profiles of rivers in the Northern Tianshan Mountains provide key insights for exploring the uplift history. In this study, the longitudinal profiles of rivers in the Northern Tianshan Mountains were extracted using a digital elevation model (DEM), the steepness index was calculated, and the uplift history since 1.2 Ma was inverted using a linear transient stream power incision model. Four tectonic events (1.05 Ma, 0.85 Ma, 0.60 Ma, and 0.15 Ma) were identified from the river profile inversion results, and these results agree with the available evidences for Quaternary Tibetan Plateau uplift, indicating that the Northern Tianshan Mountains have a synchronous uplift history with other marginal areas of the Tibetan Plateau. Our results support the viewpoints about the Quaternary uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and further emphasize the potential and significance of inferring the uplift history utilizing channel profiles.