There is provided a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium which can easily produce a magnetic recording medium, the magnetic recording medium having a plurality of magnetically separated recording layers suitable as the recording layers in a discrete track medium or patterned medium, and also having excellent surface flatness, in which spaces between the adjacent recording layers are filled in with a non-magnetic material.Such a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium is a method for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium (10) including: a step for forming a magnetic layer on top of a non-magnetic substrate (1), and then forming a resist pattern constituted of a non-magnetic material on top of the magnetic layer; a step for forming a concave section (4a), which is to become a separation layer (5), and a plurality of recording layers (4) that are magnetically separated in plan view by the concave section (4a) by removing the magnetic layer that is exposed from the resist pattern; and a step for forming the separation layer (5) by melting the resist pattern to prepare a melted resist and filling in the concave section (4a) with the melted resist, followed by curing of the melted resist.