To provide a manufacturing method for a composite material, a manufacturing apparatus for a composite material, a preform, and a composite material, capable of molding a high quality composite material having a little constraint in the shape by improving moldability while suppressing a deviation of the arrangement of the reinforced fiber during preforming. A manufacturing method for a composite material 400 provided with a reinforcement 510 and resin 600 infused into the reinforcement, includes: an apply process (step S12) for applying an adhesive to the sheet-shaped reinforcement having first and second regions 511 and 512 such that a content density of the adhesive 520 of the second region is lower than that of the first region; and a preforming process (step S17) for preforming the reinforcement in a three-dimensional shape to form a preform such that the second region has a curvature larger than that of the first region.