Example memory reclaiming methods and apparatuses are provided to resolve a problem that application data is lost and a restart speed of an application becomes slower in a manner of reclaiming a memory by killing the application. One example memory reclaiming method includes determining an application program that occupies a to-be-reclaimed memory and selecting at least one virtual address space segment according to a running state of the application program. A virtual address space that is in the selected at least one virtual address space segment and that is occupied by the application program is reclaimed. The application program is not directly killed, but instead, only a memory occupied by application data that can be cleared in the running state is reclaimed according to the running state of the application program. Therefore, less application data is lost.