The available water of plants is the main factor determining the growth of desert shrubs. The presence of biocrusts alters infiltration during rainfall event and changes soil evaporation during the drying period, and thus they could affect soil water distribution and local plant water uptake (PWU). However, the roles of biocrusts in PWU and plant water stress have not yet been quantified. The effects of biocrusts on soil water distribution and root water stress and uptake by plants (Artemisia ordosica) were determined based on experimental data, the simulated data derived from a physically based two-dimensional model, and recorded meteorological data during 1990-2019 from Yanchi site in the Mu Us Desert, China. Our results showed that (1) in comparison to the uncrusted soil, biocrusts decreased soil evaporation by 5.1%. (2) Biocrusts improved soil moisture during the drying period. (3) Biocrusts reduced the water stress fraction of the season, and the reduction percentage was 8.1%. (4) Biocrusts increased PWU by 12.8% when compared to the uncrusted soil. (5) The PWU ratio decreased with the increasing seasonal rainfall amount, with the mean value of 1.13. According to these results, we concluded that biocrusts did not negatively affect root water uptake of shrubs in drylands. Our findings about the influence of biocrusts on PWU have important implications for understanding of the symbiotic or competitive relationship between biocrusts and shrubs in dryland ecosystems.