Document And Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017 shares
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	ISHARES GOLD TRUST
Entity Central Index Key	0001278680
Trading Symbol	iau
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding (in shares)	667,600,000
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Amendment Flag	false