Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Apr. 27, 2017
Document and Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	CENTURYLINK, INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000018926
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Amendment Flag	false
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		548,812,063
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1