Fair Value (Details) (USD $)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2013	Oct. 31, 2012	Oct. 31, 2011
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Transfers between the levels within the fair value hierarchy	$ 0	$ 0
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets		18,035,000,000	885,000,000
Impairment of goodwill		13,705,000,000
Fair Value and Carrying Value of Debt
Fair value, short- and long-term debt	22,700,000,000	28,400,000,000
Carrying value, short- and long-term debt	22,600,000,000	28,400,000,000
Compaq
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Intangible asset impairment charge		1,200,000,000
Software
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Impairment of goodwill		5,744,000,000
Software | Autonomy Acquisition
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets		8,800,000,000
Enterprise Services
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Impairment of goodwill		7,961,000,000
Fair Value Measured Using Level 3 | Compaq | Minimum | Autonomy Acquisition
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Discount rate (as a percent)		11.00%
Projected revenue growth rate (as a percent)		(61.00%)
Fair Value Measured Using Level 3 | Compaq | Maximum | Autonomy Acquisition
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Discount rate (as a percent)		16.00%
Projected revenue growth rate (as a percent)		13.00%
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 1
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	6,838,000,000	4,699,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 1 | Money market funds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	6,819,000,000	4,630,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 1 | Marketable equity securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	10,000,000	60,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 1 | Foreign bonds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	9,000,000	8,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 1 | Other Debt Securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis		1,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	3,377,000,000	5,126,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	654,000,000	517,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Time deposits
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	2,221,000,000	3,641,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Mutual funds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	313,000,000	469,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Marketable equity securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	5,000,000	3,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Foreign bonds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	387,000,000	377,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Other Debt Securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	2,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Interest rate contracts
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	156,000,000	344,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	107,000,000	29,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Foreign exchange contracts
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	284,000,000	291,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	547,000,000	485,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 2 | Other derivatives
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	9,000,000	1,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis		3,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 3
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	50,000,000	55,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	2,000,000	1,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 3 | Other Debt Securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	47,000,000	55,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Fair Value Measured Using Level 3 | Foreign exchange contracts
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	3,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	2,000,000	1,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	10,265,000,000	9,880,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	656,000,000	518,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Time deposits
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	2,221,000,000	3,641,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Money market funds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	6,819,000,000	4,630,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Mutual funds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	313,000,000	469,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Marketable equity securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	15,000,000	63,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Foreign bonds
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	396,000,000	385,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Other Debt Securities
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	49,000,000	56,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Interest rate contracts
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	156,000,000	344,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	107,000,000	29,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Foreign exchange contracts
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	287,000,000	291,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	549,000,000	486,000,000
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring | Estimate of Fair Value, Fair Value Disclosure | Other derivatives
Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis
Total Assets, measured at fair value on a recurring basis	9,000,000	1,000,000
Total Liabilities, measured at fair value on a recurring basis		$ 3,000,000