Acquisitions - Aggregate Allocation of the Purchase Price of Acquisitions to Intangible Assets (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified		12 Months Ended			12 Months Ended							12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Acquisitions, excluding Nicira	Dec. 31, 2011 All 2011 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 2012 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2013 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, 2013 Purchased / Developed technology All 2013 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 Customer relationships 2012 Acquisitions, excluding Nicira	Dec. 31, 2011 Customer relationships Acquisitions 2010, Other [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Customer relationships All 2011 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2013 Customer relationships All 2013 Acquisitions	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, 2013 In-process research and development All 2013 Acquisitions	Dec. 31, 2012 VMware Nicira	Dec. 31, 2012 VMware Purchased / Developed technology Nicira	Dec. 31, 2012 VMware Tradename and trademark Nicira	Dec. 31, 2012 VMware In-process research and development Nicira
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Business Combination, Recognized Identifiable Assets Acquired and Liabilities Assumed, Finite-Lived Intangibles	$ 311	$ 157	$ 311	$ 182		$ 255	$ 98	$ 138	$ 54		$ 58	$ 34		$ 2	$ 1	$ 10	$ 335	$ 266	$ 20	$ 49
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets, Net [Abstract]
Weighted-average useful life		3 years 6 months	5 years		7 years	5 years	3 years	10 years	6 years	4 years		8 years	10 years	3 years	3 years