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Shareholders' Equity - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)
3 Months Ended 25 Months Ended 1 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2015
Mar. 31, 2014
Mar. 31, 2015
Nov. 30, 2006
Mar. 17, 2014
Feb. 27, 2015
Dec. 09, 2014
Dec. 01, 2014
Jul. 30, 2014
Apr. 17, 2014
Feb. 06, 2014
May 30, 2013
Feb. 28, 2013
Jan. 27, 2015
Aug. 01, 2014
Sold warrants to acquire shares of our common stock, exercise price per share       19.55us-gaap_ClassOfWarrantOrRightExercisePriceOfWarrantsOrRights1                      
Common stock excluded from calculation of diluted earnings per share 1,000,000us-gaap_AntidilutiveSecuritiesExcludedFromComputationOfEarningsPerShareAmount 6,000,000us-gaap_AntidilutiveSecuritiesExcludedFromComputationOfEarningsPerShareAmount                          
Repurchases of Common Stock, shares authorized to repurchase 500,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramNumberOfSharesAuthorizedToBeRepurchased   500,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramNumberOfSharesAuthorizedToBeRepurchased         250,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramNumberOfSharesAuthorizedToBeRepurchased         250,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramNumberOfSharesAuthorizedToBeRepurchased    
Total Repurchases of Common Stock, cost $ 1,400,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedAndRetiredDuringPeriodValue   $ 6,800,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedAndRetiredDuringPeriodValue                        
Total Repurchases of Common Stock, shares 54,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedAndRetiredDuringPeriodShares   255,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedAndRetiredDuringPeriodShares                        
Shares authorized for future repurchases 245,000,000us-gaap_CommonStockCapitalSharesReservedForFutureIssuance   245,000,000us-gaap_CommonStockCapitalSharesReservedForFutureIssuance                        
Payments for Repurchase of Common Stock 1,346,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock 390,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock                          
Approved dividend (in usd per share)           $ 0.115us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare $ 0.115us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare   $ 0.115us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare $ 0.115us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare $ 0.10us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare $ 0.10us-gaap_DividendsPayableAmountPerShare      
Sold Warrants                              
Sold warrants to acquire shares of our common stock       215,000,000us-gaap_IncrementalCommonSharesAttributableToCallOptionsAndWarrants
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emc_WarrantsSoldMember
                     
Warrant                              
Warrants exercised         109,000,000us-gaap_WarrantsAndRightsOutstanding
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= us-gaap_WarrantMember
                   
Exercised Warrants                              
Conversion of Stock, Shares Issued         29,000,000us-gaap_ConversionOfStockSharesIssued1
/ us-gaap_DebtInstrumentAxis
= emc_ExercisedWarrantsMember
                   
VMware                              
Total Repurchases of Common Stock, shares 5,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedAndRetiredDuringPeriodShares
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
                           
Payments for Repurchase of Common Stock 438,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
169,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsForRepurchaseOfCommonStock
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
                         
Stock Repurchase Program, Authorized Amount 2,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
  2,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
                    1,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
1,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
Stock Repurchase Program, Remaining Authorized Repurchase Amount $ 1,500,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramRemainingAuthorizedRepurchaseAmount1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember
  $ 1,500,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramRemainingAuthorizedRepurchaseAmount1
/ dei_LegalEntityAxis
= emc_VmwareMember