An air-conditioning apparatus comprising: - a main circuit formed by sequentially connecting, via a pipe, a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, a first flow control device, and a plurality of parallel heat exchangers (5-1, 5-2) so as to allow refrigerant to circulate; - a first defrost pipe configured to branch from a flow path of the refrigerant from the compressor, allow a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to path therethrough, allow any of the plurality of parallel heat exchangers (5-1, 5-2) to be selected as a parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting, and allow the part of the refrigerant to flow into the parallel heat exchanger selected as the parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting; - a first expansion device provided in the first defrost pipe and configured to depressurize the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; - a connection switching device (7-1, 7-2) that allows the refrigerant flowing out of the parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting to flow into the main circuit at a position upstream of one or more of the parallel heat exchangers (5-1, 5-2) other than the parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting; and a controller characterized in that the controller is configured to control a cooling operation and a heating operation, wherein the connection switching device comprises a second expansion device (7-1, 7-2) provided in the pipe in which the refrigerant flowing out of the parallel heat exchanger joins the main circuit, and the controller is configured to depressurizes the refrigerant discharged from the compressor by the first expansion device and creates a large pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the second expansion device (7-1, 7-2), in a defrosting operation including allowing the part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the parallel heat exchanger (5-1, 5-2) subject to defrosting. - a main circuit formed by sequentially connecting, via a pipe, a compressor, an indoor heat exchanger, a first flow control device, and a plurality of parallel heat exchangers (5-1, 5-2) so as to allow refrigerant to circulate; - a first defrost pipe configured to branch from a flow path of the refrigerant from the compressor, allow a part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to path therethrough, allow any of the plurality of parallel heat exchangers (5-1, 5-2) to be selected as a parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting, and allow the part of the refrigerant to flow into the parallel heat exchanger selected as the parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting; - a first expansion device provided in the first defrost pipe and configured to depressurize the refrigerant discharged from the compressor; - a connection switching device (7-1, 7-2) that allows the refrigerant flowing out of the parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting to flow into the main circuit at a position upstream of one or more of the parallel heat exchangers (5-1, 5-2) other than the parallel heat exchanger subject to defrosting; and the connection switching device comprises a second expansion device (7-1, 7-2) provided in the pipe in which the refrigerant flowing out of the parallel heat exchanger joins the main circuit, and the controller is configured to depressurizes the refrigerant discharged from the compressor by the first expansion device and creates a large pressure difference between the inlet and the outlet of the second expansion device (7-1, 7-2), in a defrosting operation including allowing the part of the refrigerant discharged from the compressor to flow into the parallel heat exchanger (5-1, 5-2) subject to defrosting.