Disclosed is an MR head in which the MR element resists damage due to ESD. A magneto resistive head to be in contact with a running magnetic tape includes a substrate, an insulating layer, a magneto resistive element located in the insulating layer, at least one shield layer for shielding the magneto resistive element from magnetic fields, and a conductive layer that has a conductive surface being in contact with the magnetic tape and that is electrically connected to the substrate. In this head, static electricity accumulated on the magnetic tap is discharged through the conductive layer and the substrate.