Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is an insulin resistance disease. Improving insulin resistance and controlling blood glucose are the main means of clinical treatment for T2DM. Empagliflozin is a highly selective sodium-dependent glucose transporters (SGLT)2 inhibitor, which is independent of insulin. It can effectively control blood glucose levels, reduce blood pressure and body weight, protect heart and kidney function, reduce the rehospitalization rate and the risk of death in patients with heart failure (HF), and does not increase the risk of hypoglycemia. Empagliflozin can be used alone or in combination with other hypoglycemic drugs to control blood glucose. This article reviews the mechanism of action, clinical benefits, and combination with other drugs of empagliflozin, aiming to provide reference for the clinical use of empagliflozin.