General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation	6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2013
Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]	Note 1. General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation General Our accompanying interim consolidated financial statements do not include all the notes in our annual financial statements and, therefore, should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2012 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. The accompanying unaudited financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments and others that, in the opinion of management, are necessary to present fairly our interim financial statements. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, references in this report to “we,” “our,” “us,” or similar language refer to The Williams Companies, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Description of Business Our operations are located principally in the United States and are organized into the Williams Partners, Williams NGL & Petchem Services, and Access Midstream Partners reportable segments. All remaining business activities are included in Other. Williams Partners consists of our consolidated master limited partnership, Williams Partners L.P. (WPZ), and includes gas pipeline and domestic midstream businesses. The gas pipeline businesses primarily consists of two interstate natural gas pipelines, which are Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) and Northwest Pipeline GP (which was changed to Northwest Pipeline LLC on July 1, 2013) (Northwest Pipeline), a 50 percent equity investment in Gulfstream Natural Gas System, L.L.C. (Gulfstream), and a 41 percent consolidated interest in Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC (Constitution). WPZ's midstream operations are composed of significant, large-scale operations in the Rocky Mountain and Gulf Coast regions, operations in the Marcellus Shale region, and various equity investments in domestic natural gas gathering and processing assets and natural gas liquid (NGL) fractionation and transportation assets. WPZ's midstream assets also include substantial operations and investments in the Four Corners region, the Piceance basin, an NGL fractionator and storage facilities near Conway, Kansas as well as an NGL light-feed olefins cracker in Geismar, Louisiana, along with associated ethane and propane pipelines, and a refinery grade splitter in Louisiana. Williams NGL & Petchem Services consists primarily of a Canadian oil sands offgas processing plant located near Fort McMurray, Alberta, an NGL/olefin fractionation facility and butylene/butane splitter facility at Redwater, Alberta, and a 50 percent consolidated interest in Bluegrass Pipeline Company LLC (Bluegrass). Access Midstream Partners consists of our equity investment in Access Midstream Partners, L.P. (ACMP). As of June 30, 2013, this investment includes an indirect 50 percent interest in Access Midstream Partners, GP, L.L.C. (Access GP), including incentive distribution rights, and a 23 percent limited partner interest in ACMP. ACMP is a publicly-traded master limited partnership that provides gathering, treating, and compression services to producers under long-term, fee-based contracts. Access GP is the general partner of ACMP. Other includes other business activities that are not operating segments, as well as corporate operations. Basis of Presentation As disclosed in our 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we contributed our 83.3 percent undivided interest in the olefins-production facility in Geismar, Louisiana, along with a refinery grade propylene splitter and pipelines in the Gulf region to WPZ in November 2012. As a result, prior period segment disclosures have been recast for this transaction. Also as disclosed in our 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have revised the overall presentation of our Consolidated Statement of Income, including the separate presentation of service revenues, product sales, product costs, and depreciation and amortization expenses. All prior periods presented have been recast, along with corresponding information presented in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, to reflect this change. Consolidated master limited partnership During the first quarter of 2013, WPZ completed equity issuances of 15,937,500 common units representing limited partner interests, including 3,000,000 common units sold to us in a private placement transaction. Following these transactions, we own approximately 68 percent of the interests in WPZ, including the interests of the general partner, which are wholly owned by us, and incentive distribution rights as of June 30, 2013. The previously described equity issuances by WPZ had the combined net impact of increasing our noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries by $435 million, capital in excess of par value by $114 million and deferred income taxes by $68 million in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. WPZ is self-funding and maintains separate lines of bank credit and cash management accounts. Cash distributions from WPZ to us, including any associated with our incentive distribution rights, occur through the normal partnership distributions from WPZ to all partners. Discontinued operations The discontinued operations presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes primarily reflect gains in 2012 associated with certain of our former Venezuela operations. (See Note 3.) Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements relates to our continuing operations.

General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2013

Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Description of Business, Basis of Presentation and Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Text Block]

Note 1. General, Description of Business, and Basis of Presentation

General

Our accompanying interim consolidated financial statements do not include all the notes in our annual financial statements and, therefore, should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2012 in our Annual Report on Form 10-K. The accompanying unaudited financial statements include all normal recurring adjustments and others that, in the opinion of management, are necessary to present fairly our interim financial statements.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, references in this report to “we,” “our,” “us,” or similar language refer to The Williams Companies, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

Description of Business

Our operations are located principally in the United States and are organized into the Williams Partners, Williams NGL & Petchem Services, and Access Midstream Partners reportable segments. All remaining business activities are included in Other.

Williams Partners consists of our consolidated master limited partnership, Williams Partners L.P. (WPZ), and includes gas pipeline and domestic midstream businesses. The gas pipeline businesses primarily consists of two interstate natural gas pipelines, which are Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Company, LLC (Transco) and Northwest Pipeline GP (which was changed to Northwest Pipeline LLC on July 1, 2013) (Northwest Pipeline), a 50 percent equity investment in Gulfstream Natural Gas System, L.L.C. (Gulfstream), and a 41 percent consolidated interest in Constitution Pipeline Company, LLC (Constitution). WPZ's midstream operations are composed of significant, large-scale operations in the Rocky Mountain and Gulf Coast regions, operations in the Marcellus Shale region, and various equity investments in domestic natural gas gathering and processing assets and natural gas liquid (NGL) fractionation and transportation assets. WPZ's midstream assets also include substantial operations and investments in the Four Corners region, the Piceance basin, an NGL fractionator and storage facilities near Conway, Kansas as well as an NGL light-feed olefins cracker in Geismar, Louisiana, along with associated ethane and propane pipelines, and a refinery grade splitter in Louisiana.

Williams NGL & Petchem Services consists primarily of a Canadian oil sands offgas processing plant located near Fort McMurray, Alberta, an NGL/olefin fractionation facility and butylene/butane splitter facility at Redwater, Alberta, and a 50 percent consolidated interest in Bluegrass Pipeline Company LLC (Bluegrass).

Access Midstream Partners consists of our equity investment in Access Midstream Partners, L.P. (ACMP). As of June 30, 2013, this investment includes an indirect 50 percent interest in Access Midstream Partners, GP, L.L.C. (Access GP), including incentive distribution rights, and a 23 percent limited partner interest in ACMP. ACMP is a publicly-traded master limited partnership that provides gathering, treating, and compression services to producers under long-term, fee-based contracts. Access GP is the general partner of ACMP.

Other includes other business activities that are not operating segments, as well as corporate operations.

Basis of Presentation

As disclosed in our 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we contributed our 83.3 percent undivided interest in the olefins-production facility in Geismar, Louisiana, along with a refinery grade propylene splitter and pipelines in the Gulf region to WPZ in November 2012. As a result, prior period segment disclosures have been recast for this transaction.

Also as disclosed in our 2012 Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have revised the overall presentation of our Consolidated Statement of Income, including the separate presentation of service revenues, product sales, product costs, and depreciation and amortization expenses. All prior periods presented have been recast, along with corresponding information presented in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, to reflect this change.

Consolidated master limited partnership

During the first quarter of 2013, WPZ completed equity issuances of 15,937,500 common units representing limited partner interests, including 3,000,000 common units sold to us in a private placement transaction. Following these transactions, we own approximately 68 percent of the interests in WPZ, including the interests of the general partner, which are wholly owned by us, and incentive distribution rights as of June 30, 2013.

The previously described equity issuances by WPZ had the combined net impact of increasing our noncontrolling interests in consolidated subsidiaries by $435 million, capital in excess of par value by $114 million and deferred income taxes by $68 million in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

WPZ is self-funding and maintains separate lines of bank credit and cash management accounts. Cash distributions from WPZ to us, including any associated with our incentive distribution rights, occur through the normal partnership distributions from WPZ to all partners.

Discontinued operations

The discontinued operations presented in the accompanying consolidated financial statements and notes primarily reflect gains in 2012 associated with certain of our former Venezuela operations. (See Note 3.)

Unless indicated otherwise, the information in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements relates to our continuing operations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure, and significant accounting policies of the reporting entity. May be provided in more than one note to the financial statements, as long as users are provided with an understanding of (1) the significant judgments and assumptions made by an enterprise in determining whether it must consolidate a VIE and/or disclose information about its involvement with a VIE, (2) the nature of restrictions on a consolidated VIE's assets reported by an enterprise in its statement of financial position, including the carrying amounts of such assets, (3) the nature of, and changes in, the risks associated with an enterprise's involvement with the VIE, and (4) how an enterprise's involvement with the VIE affects the enterprise's financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. Describes procedure if disclosures are provided in more than one note to the financial statements.

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