To stabilize the characteristics of MR elements by reducing the recording magnetic effects to the magnetic sensitive portions of the reproducing elements and improve the reliability of the disk drive, while providing a reliable disk drive which uses a composite magnetic head having a plurality of reproducing elements and heads against a single recording head.

This composite magnetic head has magnetic sensitive films of the reproducing elements (MR elements 1, 1') positioned avoiding the projected image of the recording head 5 in its normal line to reduce the effect of the recording magnetic field. The magnetic disk drive of this invention is made up to select either one of the reproducing elements when reproducing.