In an apparatus for press-molding an optical element by pressing a glass material with a plurality pairs of upper dies and lower dies, a lower die pressure applier is operable to apply pressure to the lower dies. A body die is adapted to guide the upper dies and the lower dies. A pressure generator is operable to lift the body die. An aligner is operable to slide the body die along the upper dies to align each of the upper dies. The aligner has a hunger supporting each of the upper dies in a hanging manner, and is operable to cause each of the upper dies to move in a plane which perpendicularly intersects a movement axis of the body die, when the body die is lifted along the upper dies by the pressure generator.