A method for manufacturing a grain-oriented electrical steel sheet, the method comprising: heating a steel slab having a composition that contains, in mass%, C: 0.08 % or less, Si: 4.5 % or less, and Mn: 0.5 % or less, and that contains, in mass ppm, S: less than 50 ppm, Se: less than 50 ppm, O: less than 50 ppm, N: less than 60 ppm, and sol.Al: less than 100 ppm, and optionally contains, in mass%, one or more selected from the group consisting of Ni: 0.01 % to 1.50 %, Sn: 0.03 % to 0.20 %, Sb: 0.01 % to 0.20 %, P: 0.02 % to 0.20 %, Cu: 0.05 % to 0.50 %, Cr: 0.03 % to 0.50 %, Mo: 0.008 % to 0.50 %, and Nb: 0.0010 % to 0.0100 %, and the balance consisting of Fe and incidental impurities; subjecting the steel slab to hot rolling to obtain a hot rolled sheet; optionally subjecting the hot rolled sheet to hot band annealing; subjecting the hot rolled sheet to cold rolling either once, or twice or more with intermediate annealing performed therebetween, to thereby obtain a cold rolled sheet having a final thickness; subjecting the cold rolled sheet to decarburization annealing to obtain a decarburization annealed sheet; applying an annealing separator mainly composed of MgO on a surface of the decarburization annealed sheet; and then subjecting the decarburization annealed sheet to secondary recrystallization annealing, wherein the cold rolling comprises final cold rolling with a total cold rolling reduction being set to 85 % or more and a rolling reduction per pass being set to 32 % or more, and wherein the final cold rolling includes one or more passes followed by a final pass and uses work rolls having a mean surface roughness Ra of 0.25 μm or less in at least one of the one or more passes other than the final pass. heating a steel slab having a composition that contains, in mass%, C: 0.08 % or less, Si: 4.5 % or less, and Mn: 0.5 % or less, and that contains, in mass ppm, S: less than 50 ppm, Se: less than 50 ppm, O: less than 50 ppm, N: less than 60 ppm, and sol.Al: less than 100 ppm, and optionally contains, in mass%, one or more selected from the group consisting of Ni: 0.01 % to 1.50 %, Sn: 0.03 % to 0.20 %, Sb: 0.01 % to 0.20 %, P: 0.02 % to 0.20 %, Cu: 0.05 % to 0.50 %, Cr: 0.03 % to 0.50 %, Mo: 0.008 % to 0.50 %, and Nb: 0.0010 % to 0.0100 %, and the balance consisting of Fe and incidental impurities; subjecting the steel slab to hot rolling to obtain a hot rolled sheet; optionally subjecting the hot rolled sheet to hot band annealing; subjecting the hot rolled sheet to cold rolling either once, or twice or more with intermediate annealing performed therebetween, to thereby obtain a cold rolled sheet having a final thickness; subjecting the cold rolled sheet to decarburization annealing to obtain a decarburization annealed sheet; applying an annealing separator mainly composed of MgO on a surface of the decarburization annealed sheet; and then subjecting the decarburization annealed sheet to secondary recrystallization annealing, wherein the cold rolling comprises final cold rolling with a total cold rolling reduction being set to 85 % or more and a rolling reduction per pass being set to 32 % or more, and wherein the final cold rolling includes one or more passes followed by a final pass and uses work rolls having a mean surface roughness Ra of 0.25 μm or less in at least one of the one or more passes other than the final pass.