A virtual machine management method and apparatus for a cloud platform includes, when a client selects a Bring Your Own License mode, obtaining a first client image file, where the first client image file carries a first software operating environment, configuring the first client image file based on the first license, to generate a first cloud platform image file, creating a first virtual machine based on the first cloud platform image file, where the first software operating environment is set on the first virtual machine, and exempting a license fee of the software in the first software operating environment in the first virtual machine.