A recording and reproducing apparatus includes: a magnetic head in which a servo band having a servo pattern and a data band having data tracks are alternately arranged along a width direction, the magnetic head including a recording and reproducing element that records or reproduces data with respect to the data track, and at least two servo reproducing elements that read servo patterns adjacent to each other in the width direction of the magnetic tape; a selection unit that selects a servo reproducing element from the servo reproducing elements according to a position of the data track, as a target of recording or reproducing of data in the data band, along the width direction; and a controller that controls positioning of the magnetic head along the width direction by using a result of reading of the servo patterns by the servo reproducing element selected by the selection unit.