It is important to assess the potential uptake of methane (CH 4) in dryland farming and its contribution to global warming mitigation by elucidating the migration characteristics of CH 4 in the soil profile. Therefore, before planting spring maize in the Loess Plateau region of China in 2019–2020, we applied fertilizer at soil depths of 5, 15, 25, and 35 cm (D5, D15, D25, and D35, respectively). The uptake of CH 4 and diffusion flux were determined simultaneously in the soil surface and profile. We found that the dryland soil was a sink for CH 4 and the cumulative CH 4 uptake amount by soil without fertilization during the maize growth stage was 1.54 kg ha–1. Fertilization inhibited the uptake of CH 4 by the soil, but deep fertilization promoted its uptake. The cumulative surface CH 4 uptake amounts under D15, D25, and D35 were significantly higher than that under D5, i.e., by 42.4%, 105.6%, and 169.1%, respectively. The CH 4 concentration and diffusion flux decreased as the soil depth increased, and CH 4 diffused downward in the soil profile. The CH 4 consumption rate was greater than the production rate in the 0–20 cm soil layer, whereas the opposite was found in the 20–30 cm layer. The surface CH 4 uptake flux was significantly positively correlated with the diffusion flux in the 0–30 cm soil layer. Inorganic nitrogen (N) inhibited the diffusion of CH 4 from the surface through the soil profile and its diffusion within the profile. The highest maize yield and biomass were obtained under D25. Therefore, increasing the fertilization depth can promote the uptake of CH 4 by the soil in maize fields to alleviate climate change, and a fertilization depth of 25 cm is suitable for balancing the requirements for environmental protection and agricultural production. Our findings provide important insights into the production, consumption, diffusion, and uptake of CH 4 in dryland farming areas. • CH4 production/consumption and diffusion in the vertical soil profile, and surface uptake quantified simultaneously. • Consumption and production of CH4 occurred mainly in 0–20 and 20–30 cm soil layers, respectively. • Dryland is a net CH4 sink and deep placement fertilizer enhances CH4 uptake. • N input inhibits the uptake, diffusion, and transformation of CH4. • Chamber measurement coupled with the gradient method can improve estimates of the CH4 flux. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]