Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are known to enhance drought tolerance in maize, but the suitable AMF strains and their underlying mechanism remain poorly understood. Six AMF strains were investigated for their effects on maize physiology and metabolism under two water conditions. Under drought stress, Paraglomus occultum showed better affinity for maize than other strains, enhancing shoot biomass (66.85 %), root biomass (108.92 %), plant height (22.16 %), leaf area (62.39 %), root length (35.90 %), and root surface area (42.39 %) (p < 0.05). AMF inoculation reduced malondialdehyde (10.99-76.75 %) and hydrogen peroxide contents (4.58-25.58 %) through boosting superoxide dismutase, catalase activities and glutathione, ascorbic acid contents by 8.96-119.71 % in roots; and peroxidase, catalase activities and glutathione content by 16.96-56.61 % in leaves (p < 0.05). AMF inoculation enhanced indoleacetic acid (IAA), ethylene (ACC) contents, IAA/ABA, IAA/ZT and IAA/ACC ratios and deceased gibberellin content in roots and leaves (p < 0.05). it increased jasmonic acid content (142.2-217.52 %) in leaves but decreased it (41.48-43.99 %) in roots (p < 0.05). AMF inoculation downregulated ACC and ABA signal transduction pathways in roots and leaves, respectively, while upregulating other phytohormone signaling. PLS-PM model indicates that AMF-mediated changes in phytohormones modulate antioxidant activity and maize growth. Transcriptome results revealed that AMF inoculation enhanced antioxidant activity and phytohormone regulation by activating diterpenoid and folate biosynthesis and sphingolipid metabolism in roots and leaves. Additionally, AMF inoculation differentially modulated metabolic pathways between roots and leaves. In summary, Paraglomus occultum enhances maize drought tolerance through regulating antioxidant activity, phytohormone contents and key metabolic pathways, demonstrating its potential for arid-region cultivation.