The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for driving an actuator in which unnecessary deformation is suppressed.The present invention provides a method for driving an actuator, comprising the following steps (a) and (b): a step (a) of preparing the actuator, wherein the actuator comprises a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer composed of (Bi,Na,Ba)TiO3, and a second electrode, the piezoelectric layer is interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, +X direction, +Y direction, and +Z direction denote [100] direction, [01-1] direction, and [011] direction, respectively, and the piezoelectric layer is preferentially oriented along the +Z direction; and a step (b) of applying a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode to drive the actuator.