Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities (Narrative) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Feb. 02, 2019	Feb. 03, 2018
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities, Current [Abstract]
Workers compensation and general liability reserves covered by deposits and receivables	$ 112	$ 112

Workers compensation and general liability reserves covered by deposits and receivables

No definition available.

Name:	m_WorkersCompensationAndGeneralLiabilityReservesCoveredByDepositsAndReceivables
Namespace Prefix:	m_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant