Micromanipulation based on AFM (atomic force microscope) has become popular in recent years. Since the AFM probe tip can have several shapes, how to select tip shape is discussed for micromanipulation in this paper. Based on the Hamaker hypotheses and the Lennard-Jones potential, interactions between probe and substrate surface are analyzed for three typical shape probe tips, namely, quadrilateral pyramid, cone, and paraboloid. Simulations are presented, and conclusion is obtained: a quadrilateral pyramid probe tip with small inclination between edge and axis is the best choice for micromanipulation based on AFM.