A developing method is provided in which a developer is carried on a developer carrying member, a thin layer of the developer is formed thereon and a latent image on a latent image bearing member is developed with a developer. The developer is composed of magnetic toner particles containing a binder resin and a magnetic powder. The magnetic powder has a saturation magnetization of 67.0 Am<2>/kg to 75.0 Am<2>/kg in a magnetic field of 79.6 kA/m (1,000 oersteds) and has a residual magnetization of 4.5 Am<2>/kg or less. In the surface profile of the conductive resin coat layer of the developer carrying member, the relationship 1.00 <= S/A <= 1.65 is satisfied where S is a surface area of regions zoned by an area A of microscopic unevenness regions from which parts exceeding a reference plane by 0.5xr (r: weight average particle diameter (mu m) of a toner used) or more have been excluded.