A substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate holding device, a rotation mechanism, a drying liquid supply nozzle, a movement mechanism, a flow rate control mechanism, and a control device including circuitry which controls one or more of the rotation mechanism, movement mechanism and flow rate control mechanism such that the drying liquid forms a drying liquid flow line having distance (L) equal to or less than preset upper limit distance (M), where when a liquid contact point is position at which the drying liquid discharged from the nozzle reaches the substrate, the flow line is formed when the liquid contact point is moved from a center portion of the substrate toward a peripheral edge portion of the substrate, and the distance (L) of the flow line is measured from center of the liquid contact point to an edge of the flow line on a rotation center side of the substrate.