Myotis blythii hibernates in caves or artificial underground sites, where the bats may form large clusters or roost singly in rock crevices, while out of the hibernation season, they are cave-dwelling in the south and use attics of large buildings or churches. Maternity colonies are often mixed with Myotis myotis (reviewed in Ruedi 2020). It forages in open spaces (natural grasslands, steppes, open Mediterranean scrubland, and in the Alps extensive meadows and pastures or traditionally cultivated wetlands with dense grass cover), where prey – mostly orthopterans and beetles – are detected by passive listening. The bats move 4-6 km, and up to 25 km, to reach their foraging sites (Ruedi 2020). Myotis blythiiis occasionally migrant, with a maximum recorded move of 488 km, but the distances between winter and summer sites are generally below 15 km (Hutterer et al. 2005).

In Europe, the species is found from the Iberian Peninsula to the Balkans east to European Türkiye, along the Black Sea coasts, and Crimea, rarely exceeding 49°N northwards and is only marginally present north to the Alps (reviewed in Ruedi 2020). Except for Cyprus and possibly Lesbos and Crete, the distribution of Myotis blythii in Europe corresponds to that of its slightly larger subspecies M. b. oxygnathus. The Sudetes and Carpathian Mountain range limit the breeding range in central Europe. Further east, the species occurs throughout the Balkans, in the Transcarpathian region of Ukraine, up to southern Crimea. It is absent from Sardinia and Corsica (Ruedi 2020). The highest altitude reached in Europe by this species is 2,100 m asl in southern Spain (Palomo and Gisbert 2002). The AOO (1,612 km²) was estimated using 2x2 km grid cells. The range of altitudes where this species can be found varies between 0 and 2,100 m asl.

Outside Europe, the subspecies M. b. omari occurs in the Levant, south to northern Israel and Jordan, and Iran, where, in the eastern part of the Kopet Dagh Mountains, is replaced by the subspecies M. b. blythii, across Afghanistan, Central Asia, and northern India and Nepal along the foothills of the Himalayas. For the M. b. ancilla subspecies, only scattered records in the Altai and northern China are available (Ruedi 2020).

It is protected by national legislation in most range states, as well as by the Eurobats Agreement and Bern Convention where these apply. It is included in Annexes II and IV of the 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive, and according to the latest (2013-2018) art- 17 reporting done under such Directive, its conservation status is unfavourable – inadequate in all biogeographic regions except the Black Sea region, where range, population and habitat prospects are unknown. 978 Natura 2000 sites include this species in their designations (EEA 2023). In order to protect this species, it is essential to safeguard its primary foraging habitat, which includes steppes, shrubland, and diverse agricultural habitats. Additionally, reducing the use of pesticides and enforcing strict protection measures for both summer and winter (underground) roosting sites are crucial steps in ensuring the species' survival.