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Income Taxes - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Effective Income Tax Rate Reconciliation, Tax Credit, Research, Percent 3.50%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationTaxCreditsResearch    
Net operating loss carryforwards and tax credit carryforwards $ 34,000,000emc_NetOperatingLossCarryforwardAndTaxCreditCarryforwardAmount $ 54,000,000emc_NetOperatingLossCarryforwardAndTaxCreditCarryforwardAmount $ 59,000,000emc_NetOperatingLossCarryforwardAndTaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
International reorganization of acquired companies 0.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseRestructuringCharges 0.60%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseRestructuringCharges 0.30%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseRestructuringCharges
Effective income tax rate 23.10%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 20.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations 24.10%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations
Net operating loss carryforward, federal 264,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwardsDomestic    
Net operating loss carryforward, state 298,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwardsStateAndLocal    
Net operating loss carryforward, foreign 24,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsOperatingLossCarryforwardsForeign    
Valuation Allowances and Reserves, Balance   4,000,000us-gaap_ValuationAllowancesAndReservesBalance  
Valuation allowance 126,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance 211,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance  
Basis differences related to investments in foreign subsidiaries consisted of undistributed earnings 11,800,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsInvestmentInSubsidiaries 10,200,000,000us-gaap_DeferredTaxAssetsInvestmentInSubsidiaries  
Total cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments 14,700,000,000us-gaap_InvestmentsAndCash    
Income before income taxes from foreign operations 1,800,000,000us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesForeign 2,300,000,000us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesForeign 1,900,000,000us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesForeign
Income before income taxes from domestic operations 2,000,000,000us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesDomestic 1,600,000,000us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesDomestic 1,900,000,000us-gaap_IncomeLossFromContinuingOperationsBeforeIncomeTaxesDomestic
Unrecognized tax benefits, if recognized, would have been recorded as a reduction to income tax expense 316,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 261,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate 255,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsThatWouldImpactEffectiveTaxRate
Recognition (reversal) of previously recorded interest expense resulting from third party settlement 9,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 9,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestExpense 4,000,000us-gaap_IncomeTaxExaminationPenaltiesAndInterestExpense
Unrecognized tax benefits, accrued interest and penalties 51,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 42,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued 35,000,000us-gaap_UnrecognizedTaxBenefitsIncomeTaxPenaltiesAndInterestAccrued
Federal      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Tax credit carryforwards 4,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_InternalRevenueServiceIRSMember		    
Foreign      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Valuation Allowance 1,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwardsValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember		    
Tax credit carryforwards 468,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardAmount
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_ForeignCountryMember		    
State and Local Jurisdiction [Member]      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Operating Loss Carryforwards, Valuation Allowance 4,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLossCarryforwardsValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember		    
Tax Credit Carryforward, Valuation Allowance 121,000,000us-gaap_TaxCreditCarryforwardValuationAllowance
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= us-gaap_StateAndLocalJurisdictionMember		    
VMware      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Total cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments 7,100,000,000us-gaap_InvestmentsAndCash
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember		    
VMware | International Entities      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Total cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments 5,000,000,000us-gaap_InvestmentsAndCash
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= emc_InternationalEntitiesMember
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember		    
EMC | International Entities      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Total cash, cash equivalents, and short-term and long-term investments 5,300,000,000us-gaap_InvestmentsAndCash
/ us-gaap_IncomeTaxAuthorityAxis
= emc_InternationalEntitiesMember
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_EmcMember		    
Other non-current assets      
Operating Loss Carryforwards [Line Items]      
Net non-current state and foreign deferred tax assets $ 157,000,000emc_DeferredTaxAssetsStateAndForeignIncomeTaxNoncurrent
/ us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis
= us-gaap_OtherNoncurrentAssetsMember		 $ 133,000,000emc_DeferredTaxAssetsStateAndForeignIncomeTaxNoncurrent
/ us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis
= us-gaap_OtherNoncurrentAssetsMember