This probe control method is applied to the scanning probe microscope having a probe section with a probe pointed at a sample, a detection section for detecting physical quantity between the sample and the probe, a measurement section for measuring the surface of the sample to obtain the surface information on the basis of the physical quantity when scanning the sample surface by the probe, and a movement mechanism with at least two degree of freedom. The probe control method has steps of moving the probe in a scanning direction different from the contact direction while making the probe come into contact with the sample surface, detecting the torsional state of the probe during the movement of the probe, and adjusting either or both of the rate in the scanning direction and the force in the contact direction on the basis of the detected value obtained by the detection step.