Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NUVEEN INVESTMENT FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Oct. 31, 2014
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The investment objective of the Fund is to provide investors with current income to the extent consistent with the preservation of capital.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “What Share Classes We Offer” on page 65 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 68 of the prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-103 of the Fund’s statement of additional information.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text]	rr_ShareholderFeesCaption	Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text]	rr_OperatingExpensesCaption	Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	October 31, 2015
Portfolio Turnover [Heading]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading	Portfolio Turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block]	rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock	The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 31% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	31.00%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block]	rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock	The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts	You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount	$ 50,000
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the contractual fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond October 31, 2015. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption	Redemption
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text]	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption	No Redemption
Strategy [Heading]	rr_StrategyHeading	Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block]	rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock	Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in U.S. Government bonds. U.S. Government bonds are securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities, including: U.S. Treasury obligations; Mortgage-backed securities issued by the Government National Mortgage Association, the Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (FHLMC); and Non-mortgage-related obligations issued or guaranteed by U.S. Government agencies or instrumentalities, such as FNMA, FHLMC, Federal Farm Credit Banks, the Federal Home Loan Bank System, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, including obligations that are issued by private issuers and guaranteed under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Temporary Liquidity Guarantee Program. U.S. Treasury obligations and some obligations of U.S. Government agencies and instrumentalities are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. Other U.S. Government securities are backed by the right of the issuer to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. Still others are supported only by the credit of the issuing agency or instrumentality. The Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets, collectively, in non-U.S. Government debt obligations, asset-backed securities, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, corporate debt obligations, and municipal securities. Such securities will be rated investment grade at the time of purchase or, if unrated, determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s sub-adviser. If the rating of a security is reduced or the credit quality of an unrated security declines after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. In selecting securities for the Fund, the Fund’s sub-adviser first determines its economic outlook and the direction in which inflation and interest rates are expected to move. In selecting individual securities consistent with this outlook, the sub-adviser evaluates factors such as credit quality, yield, maturity, liquidity, and portfolio diversification. Under normal market conditions, the Fund attempts to maintain a weighted average effective maturity between three and ten years and an effective duration of between two and one-half and seven years. The Fund’s weighted average effective maturity and effective duration are measures of how the value of the Fund’s shares may react to interest rate changes. To generate additional income, the Fund may invest up to 10% of its total assets in dollar roll transactions. In a dollar roll transaction, the Fund sells mortgage-backed securities for delivery in the current month while contracting with the same party to repurchase similar securities at a future date. The Fund may utilize the following derivatives: futures contracts; options on futures contracts, swap agreements, including swap agreements on interest rates, security indexes and specific securities and credit default swap agreements; and options on the foregoing types of swap agreements. The Fund may enter into standardized derivatives contracts that are traded on domestic securities exchanges, boards of trade, or similar entities and non-standardized derivatives contracts traded in the over-the-counter market. The Fund may use these derivatives in an attempt to manage market risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund’s portfolio, or for speculative purposes in an effort to increase the Fund’s yield or to enhance returns. The use of a derivative is speculative if the Fund is primarily seeking to enhance returns, rather than offset the risk of other positions. The Fund may not use derivatives to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund, listed alphabetically, include: Bond Market Liquidity Risk—Primary dealer inventories of bonds appear to be low relative to the size of the fixed income market. These inventories are a core indication of dealers’ capacity to “make a market” in fixed income securities. This reduction in market making capacity has the potential to decrease liquidity and increase price volatility in the fixed income markets in which the Fund invests, particularly during periods of economic or market stress. As a result of this decreased liquidity, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on performance. If the Fund needed to sell large blocks of bonds to meet shareholder redemption requests or to raise cash, those sales could further reduce the bonds’ prices. Call Risk—If an issuer calls higher-yielding debt instruments held by the Fund, performance could be adversely impacted. Credit Risk—Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a debt security may be unable or unwilling to make interest and principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a debt security may decline because of concerns about the issuer’s ability or willingness to make such payments. Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivative instruments can be used to acquire or to transfer the risk and returns of a security or other asset without buying or selling the security or asset. These instruments may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments. Dollar Roll Transaction Risk—The use of dollar rolls can increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price, and it may have an adverse impact on performance unless the sub-adviser correctly predicts mortgage prepayments and interest rates. Income Risk—The Fund’s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates. Interest Rate Risk—Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of the Fund’s portfolio will decline because of rising interest rates. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the current period of historically low rates and the effect of potential government fiscal policy initiatives and resulting market reaction to those initiatives. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities. Mortgage- and Asset-Backed Securities Risk—These securities generally can be prepaid at any time, and prepayments that occur either more quickly or more slowly than expected can adversely impact the value of such securities. They are also subject to extension risk, which is the risk that rising interest rates could cause mortgages or other obligations underlying the securities to be prepaid more slowly than expected, thereby lengthening the duration of such securities, increasing their sensitivity to interest rate changes and causing their prices to decline. A mortgage-backed security may be negatively affected by the quality of the mortgages underlying such security, the credit quality of its issuer or guarantor, and the nature and structure of its credit support. Political and Economic Risks—The values of municipal securities held by the Fund may be adversely affected by local political and economic conditions and developments. Adverse conditions in an industry significant to a local economy could have a correspondingly adverse effect on the financial condition of local issuers.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]	rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution	An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Fund Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	(800) 257-8787
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.nuveen.com/performance
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Class A Annual Total Return
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]	rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock	The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]	rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads	The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2013, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 5.92% and -2.41%, respectively, for the quarters ended December 31, 2008 and June 30, 2004.
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2013
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]	rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown	After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans. Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers were not in place, returns would be reduced. Effective August 31, 2009, the Fund’s investment objective was changed from providing “current income that is exempt from state income tax” to providing “current income,” in each case to the extent consistent with preservation of capital. As of the same date, the Fund’s investment strategies were significantly broadened, consistent with this new investment objective. As a result, the performance information presented below reflects the performance of an investment portfolio that, prior to August 31, 2009, differed materially from the Fund’s portfolio thereafter.
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	3.00%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.01%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.16%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.85%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	384
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	596
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	826
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,485
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	384
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	596
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	826
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	1,485
2004	rr_AnnualReturn2004	1.48%	[4]
2005	rr_AnnualReturn2005	1.63%	[4]
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	3.20%	[4]
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	7.76%	[4]
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	9.28%	[4]
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	(0.38%)	[4]
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	5.30%	[4]
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	4.98%	[4]
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	2.07%	[4]
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	(1.28%)	[4]
Year to Date Return, Label	rr_YearToDateReturnLabel	year-to-date total return
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2014
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn	1.48%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Dec. 31, 2008
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	5.92%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2004
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(2.41%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(4.25%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.47%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	3.05%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	1.00%	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	1.00%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.76%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.16%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.60%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	163
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	539
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	939
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,060
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	163
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	539
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	939
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	2,060
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.95%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	1.68%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 28, 2009
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	none	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.50%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.26%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.16%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.10%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	112
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	384
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	676
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,509
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	112
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	384
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	676
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	1,509
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.43%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.15%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 28, 2009
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Class I
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.29%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.76%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.16%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.60%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	61
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	227
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	407
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	927
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	61
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	227
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	407
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 927
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(0.95%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	2.30%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	3.54%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | (return after taxes on distributions) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(4.94%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.61%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	1.92%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.41%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	0.84%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	1.99%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Barclays Intermediate Government Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.25%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	2.20%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	3.74%
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Barclays Intermediate Government Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.60%
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Barclays Intermediate Government Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.60%
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Lipper Intermediate U.S. Government Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(2.87%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	2.51%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	3.45%
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Lipper Intermediate U.S. Government Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads) | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.39%
Nuveen Intermediate Government Bond Fund | Lipper Intermediate U.S. Government Classification Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads) | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	2.39%

[1] The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.

[2] Fee applies to the following types of accounts under $1,000 held directly with the Fund: individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and accounts established pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA).

[3] The Fund's investment adviser has contractually agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse other Fund expenses through October 31, 2015 so that total annual fund operating expenses, after fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements and excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, do not exceed 0.85%, 1.60%, 1.10% and 0.60% for Class A, Class C, Class R3 and Class I shares, respectively. Fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will not be terminated prior to that time without the approval of the Fund's Board of Directors.

[4] Class A year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2014 was 1.48%. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures.