An information recording apparatus recording contents on a recording medium and managing the contents by using a content management file includes a control unit that checks a recording state of the recording medium loaded in the information recording apparatus to determine how to set up the content management file to be recorded on the recording medium and recording means for recording the content management file on the recording medium. The control unit determines the file setup of the content management file on the basis of the recording capacity of an area where the contents can be recorded on the recording medium. The recording means records the content management file in accordance with the file setup on the recording medium.