Titanium has been widely used for orthopedic products, however, it is bioinert and surface modification is necessary to improve its osteoconductivity. Magnesium (Mg) ions are considered to be involved in bone metabolism and plays important physiological roles in the growth and mineralization of bone tissue; therefor this study carried out a feasible treatment to modify titanium with Mg. Briefly, pure titanium was treated in condensed sodium hydroxide solution first and then transferred to diluted magnesium chloride solution to conduct ion exchange. After that, heat treatment was conducted and a nano-sized network containing magnesium titanate was obtained. Surface morphology, roughness, and chemical composition were characterized. In vivo apatite inducing ability was evaluated in simulated body fluid (SBF) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was used as model to study protein adsorption. MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured and initial cell attachment, morphology, proliferation were evaluated. Compared with Sodium (Na) modified surface, Mg immobilization accelerated apatite formation and prompted protein adsorption, significantly. Besides, cell attachment was improved and cell spreading was enhanced on Mg-containing samples compared with Na containing samples. Increased early cellular attachment resulted in subsequent increase of number of proliferated cells on the Mg-containing surface. In conclusion, this method is expected to be an effective method to fabricate titanium implant with good bioactivity.