Acquisitions - Allocation of Purchase Price (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified						12 Months Ended		12 Months Ended					12 Months Ended						12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Dec. 31, 2013 All 2013 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Acquisitions, excluding Nicira	Dec. 31, 2011 All 2011 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 VMware Nicira	Dec. 31, 2013 Purchased / Developed technology All 2013 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 Purchased / Developed technology Nicira	Dec. 31, 2012 Purchased / Developed technology 2012 Acquisitions, excluding Nicira	Dec. 31, 2011 Purchased / Developed technology All 2011 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 Purchased / Developed technology VMware Nicira	Dec. 31, 2012 Tradename and trademark Nicira	Dec. 31, 2012 Tradename and trademark 2012 Acquisitions, excluding Nicira	Dec. 31, 2011 Tradename and trademark All 2011 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 Tradename and trademark VMware Nicira	Dec. 31, 2013 In-process research and development All 2013 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 In-process research and development VMware Nicira	Dec. 31, 2013 Customer relationships All 2013 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 Customer relationships 2012 Acquisitions, excluding Nicira	Dec. 31, 2011 Customer relationships All 2011 Acquisitions
Intangible assets:
Intangible assets				$ 182	$ 311	$ 157	$ 335	$ 138		$ 255	$ 98	$ 266		$ 2	$ 1	$ 20	$ 10	$ 49	$ 34	$ 54	$ 58
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Net				(8)		(7)
Goodwill	14,424	13,840	12,155	596		376	893
Deferred tax liabilities, net							(77)
Income tax payable							50
Other current liabilities, net of current assets							(1)
Total purchase price							$ 1,100
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net [Abstract]
Weighted-average useful life						3 years 6 months		10 years	7 years	5 years	3 years		10 years	3 years	3 years				8 years	6 years