Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for establishing a hotspot connection and a terminal device. The method includes: sending, by a first terminal device, a request message to a second terminal device, where the request message is used to request that the first terminal device be used as a wireless local area network WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; receiving, by the first terminal device, indication information from the second terminal device, where the indication information is used to indicate that the second terminal device confirms using the first terminal device as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device; and establishing, by the first terminal device serving as the WLAN hotspot of the second terminal device, a communication connection to the second terminal device.