Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Millions	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 06, 2017	Jun. 30, 2016
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	APPLIED OPTOELECTRONICS, INC.
Entity Central Index Key	0001158114
Document Type	10-K
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2016
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer?	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer?	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current?	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 180.9
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		18,677,878
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016