Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of intraoperative tranexamic acid use in total shoulder arthroplasty. Methods By searching Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, Chongqing VIP, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database from the establishment of the database to September 2021, randomized controlled trials of intraoperative tranexamic acid use in total shoulder arthroplasty were collected. Outcome indicators were total blood loss, postoperative drainage, hemoglobin reduction, length of operation, length of hospital stay, and formation of hematoma. RevMan 5.3 software was used for meta-analysis. Results Meta analysis results showed that the use of tranexamic acid can reduce total blood loss [weighted mean difference = −246.55 mL, 95% confidence interval (−335.36, −157.75) mL, P<0.000 01], reduce postoperative drainage [weighted mean difference = −134.05 mL, 95% confidence interval (−161.72, −106.38) mL, P<0.000 01], reduce hemoglobin reduction [weighted mean difference = −0.64 g/dL, 95% confidence interval (−0.91, −0.36) g/dL, P< 0.000 01], reduce hematoma formation [risk ratio=0.41, 95% confidence interval (0.22, 0.77), P=0.005]. There was no statistically significant difference in the length of operation and length of hospitalization between patients who used tranexamic acid and those who did not use tranexamic acid (P>0.05). Conclusions Tranexamic acid is effective and safe for patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty. It can reduce perioperative bleeding and hematoma formation without increasing the length of surgery and hospitalization.