A terminal management method and an apparatus, to implement management of terminals. The method includes: receiving, by a first device, a first instruction used to perform a first operation on one or more terminals, and determining, according to a management rule, whether performance of the first operation is allowed, and/or determining a target terminal to be subjected to the first operation. The solution is applicable to the field of communication technologies, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, the internet of vehicles, smart homes, or the like.