A magnetic recording apparatus has a two-layered medium of a soft magnetic backing layer and a perpendicular recording layer, and a perpendicular recording head having a recording section including a main magnetic pole, an auxiliary magnetic pole and an exciting coil, and a reproducing section including a reproducing element sandwiched between a pair of reproducing shields, the reproducing section and the recording section being formed separately from each other. The auxiliary magnetic pole is recessed from the air-bearing surface of the main magnetic pole, and the distance between the auxiliary magnetic pole and the reproducing shield positioned adjacent to the auxiliary magnetic pole is set to permit a magnetic field generated under the auxiliary magnetic pole to be larger than a magnetic field under the shield.