Embodiments of the present invention provide a secure element management method and a terminal. The method includes: when a first secure element is connected to a secure element interface, acquiring identification information of the connected first secure element; acquiring preset identification information, where the preset identification information is used to identify an exclusive secure element; matching the identification information of the first secure element with the preset identification information; and when the identification information of the first secure element matches the preset identification information, setting the first secure element to a normal working state, and setting connected other secure elements on the terminal to a non-normal working state. According to the embodiments of the present invention, the terminal supports a management mode of an exclusive secure element, a requirement of an exclusive secure element issuer for taking control of a secure element of the terminal is met.