Anoxic microsites are potential significant contributors to the inhibition of soil organic carbon loss. Soil aggregates, as potential suitable sites for the development of anoxic microsites, are closely related to the accumulation of soil organic carbon. However, few studies have investigated the impact of anoxic microsites on organic carbon within soil aggregates. This study collected dryland soils from four types of vegetation restoration and employed soil incubation and gas chromatography to measure and calculate the extent of anoxic protection. Anaerobic conditions were used to obtain soil samples from the internal and external layers of macroaggregates through the dry dissection method, and their anoxic microsite abundance and organic matter composition were compared. The results indicate that the extent of anoxic protection was 33.5% and 36% of natural shrubland and natural grassland, respectively. Planted forest exhibited a lower protection value at 15.9%, while farmland exhibited the most negligible anoxic protection at ?8.9%. And the internal layer of macroaggregates generally exhibits a high concentration of Fe2+, consequently, this region is characterized by a greater prevalence of hypoxic microenvironments. Organic matter, such as aromatics, lipids, and lignin, protected by anoxic microsites, is relatively abundant in the inner layer of aggregates. Soil respiration rate was significantly negatively correlated with the extent of anoxic protection. The aforementioned results reveal the formation mechanism, stability, and protective role of anoxic microsites within the inner layers of soil aggregates towards organic matter. The extent of anoxic protection is contingent upon a stable soil environment. These microsites selectively conserve the reducing organic matter within macroaggregates, significantly reducing the loss of soil organic carbon. This finding contributes a nuanced understanding of soil carbon cycling and carbon sequestration processes.