The invention discloses a method for manufacturing a flexible substrate. The method comprises the steps of first coating a rigid substrate with a layer of nano-silver conductive material, performing silk screen of silver paste, performing manufacture of a patterning conductive film and routing on a nano-silver transparent conductive film and silver paste through a laser etching process, performing coating of a layer of high polymer material, striping a high polymer film from a glass substrate after curing, completely transferring the well manufactured patterning nano-silver conductive film to the high polymer film, and obtaining the flexible substrate. The invention further discloses a method for manufacturing a touch screen. The laser etching process and a counter-transfer technology are adopted, the problem that fracture damage is easily caused to the high polymer film when the laser etching is adopted to manufacture the patterning nano-silver conductive film on the thinned high polymer film directly is solved, the technical blank of laser etching of the nano-silver conductive film on the thinned high polymer film is filled, and the high-adhesive force, thinned and bending-resistant nano-silver flexible substrate is manufactured.