This application provides a random access method and apparatus. The method may include determining, by a terminal, a service attribute of to-be-transmitted data, where the service attribute includes one or more of the following: a service type attribute, a service packet attribute, and a service latency attribute. The method may also include sending, by the terminal when the service attribute meets a preset condition for early data transmission, a random access request to a network device using a dedicated resource for the early data transmission. In this way, the early data transmission is initiated after the service attribute meets the preset condition for the early data transmission, so that a quantity of times for which the early data transmission is initiated is reduced, thereby saving resources. In addition, a success rate of the early data transmission can be improved.