Objective To meta-synthesize the qualitative studies on nurses′ retention intention and to provide references for formulation of the strategies favoring nurses′ retention intention. Methods The qualitative studies regarding nurses′ retention intention were searched in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, and Wanfang databases. The time limit of the retrieval was from the establishment to April 2023.The literature quality was evaluated using the JBI Quality Evaluation Criteria for Qualitative Research or the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool, and Meta-synthesis analysis was applied to integrate the results. Results A total of 13 studies were included, and 65 results were extracted and summarized into 13 new categories, which were factored into 4 integrated results.The 4 integrated results were the appeal of nursing professionalism (nursing professionalism, career prospects, and career recognition), the appeal of nursing job (job matching, job stability, pay levels, and the balance between family and work), the appeal of work environment (physical environment, relationship with patients and families, teamwork, and management), and personality traits (personality characteristics and intrinsic coping). Conclusion Nurses′ retention intention is of great significance to solve the shortage of nursing resources. Managers should pay more attention to the factors affecting nurses′ retention intention. Targeted strategies should be formulated from such aspects as the nursing professionlism, nursing job, and work environment to improve retention intention.