Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NUVEEN INVESTMENT FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Aug. 31, 2016
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The investment objective of the Fund is to provide current income that is exempt from federal income tax to the extent consistent with 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 47 of the Fund’s prospectus, “How to Reduce Your Sales Charge” on page 51 of the prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-88 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)
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 24% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	24.00%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block]	rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock	The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares and Class C2 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
Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]	rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent	Other Expenses have been restated to reflect current contractual fees.
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 and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. 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 municipal bonds that pay interest that is exempt from regular federal personal income tax. These municipal bonds include obligations issued by U.S. states and their subdivisions, authorities, instrumentalities and corporations, as well as obligations issued by U.S. territories (such as Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam) that pay interest that is exempt from regular federal personal income tax. The Fund may invest without limit in securities that generate income subject to the alternative minimum tax. The Fund normally may invest up to 20% of its net assets in taxable obligations. The Fund will attempt to maintain the weighted average maturity of its portfolio securities at three years or less under normal market conditions. The Fund invests mainly in securities that, at the time of purchase, are either rated investment grade or are unrated and determined to be of comparable quality by the Fund’s sub-adviser. However, the Fund may invest up to 20% of its total assets in securities that, at the time of purchase, are rated lower than investment grade or are unrated and of comparable quality (securities commonly referred to as “high yield” securities or “junk bonds”). If the rating of a security is reduced or discontinued after purchase, the Fund is not required to sell the security, but may consider doing so. The Fund may invest in all types of municipal bonds, including general obligation bonds, revenue bonds and participation interests in municipal leases. The Fund may invest in zero coupon bonds, which are issued at substantial discounts from their value at maturity and pay no cash income to their holders until they mature. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in municipal securities whose interest payments vary inversely with changes in short-term tax-exempt interest rates (“inverse floaters”). Inverse floaters are derivative securities that provide leveraged exposure to underlying municipal bonds. The Fund’s investments in inverse floaters are designed to increase the Fund’s income and returns through this leveraged exposure. These investments are speculative, however, and also create the possibility that income and returns will be diminished. The Fund may utilize futures contracts and options on futures contracts in an attempt to manage market risk, credit risk and yield curve risk, and to manage the effective maturity or duration of securities in the Fund’s portfolio. The Fund may not use such instruments to gain exposure to a security or type of security that it would be prohibited by its investment restrictions from purchasing directly. The Fund’s sub-adviser uses a value-oriented strategy and looks for higher-yielding and undervalued municipal bonds that offer above-average total return. The sub-adviser may choose to sell municipal bonds with deteriorating credit or limited upside potential compared to other available bonds.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The price and yield of 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: Alternative Minimum Tax Risk—The Fund has no limit as to the amount that can be invested in alternative minimum tax bonds. Therefore, all or a portion of the Fund’s otherwise exempt-interest dividends may be taxable to those shareholders subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. 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. The Fund’s investments in inverse floaters will increase the Fund’s credit risk. Credit Spread Risk—Credit spread risk is the risk that credit spreads (i.e., the difference in yield between securities that is due to differences in their credit quality) may increase when the market believes that bonds generally have a greater risk of default. Increasing credit spreads may reduce the market values of the Fund’s debt securities. Credit spreads often increase more for lower rated and unrated securities than for investment grade securities. In addition, when credit spreads increase, reductions in market value will generally be greater for longer-maturity securities. Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity breaches may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to Fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause the Fund and/or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. 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. An over-the-counter derivative transaction between the Fund and a counterparty that is not cleared through a central counterparty 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. The payment obligation for a cleared derivative transaction is guaranteed by a central counterparty, which exposes the Fund to the creditworthiness of the central counterparty. High Yield Securities Risk—High yield securities, which are rated below investment grade and commonly referred to as “junk” bonds, are high risk investments that may cause income and principal losses for the Fund. They generally have greater credit risk, are less liquid and have more volatile prices than investment grade securities. Income Risk—The Fund’s income could decline during periods of falling interest rates or when the Fund experiences defaults on debt securities it holds. Also, if the Fund invests in inverse floaters, the Fund’s income may decrease if short-term interest rates rise. 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. Interest rate risk may be increased by the Fund’s investment in inverse floaters because of the leveraged nature of these investments. Inverse Floaters Risk—The use of inverse floaters by the Fund creates effective leverage. Due to the leveraged nature of these investments, they will typically be more volatile and involve greater risk than the fixed rate municipal bonds underlying the inverse floaters. An investment in certain inverse floaters will involve the risk that the Fund could lose more than its original principal investment. Distributions on inverse floaters bear an inverse relationship to short-term municipal bond interest rates. Thus, distributions paid to the Fund on its inverse floaters will be reduced or even eliminated as short-term municipal interest rates rise and will increase when short-term municipal interest rates fall. Inverse floaters generally will underperform the market for fixed rate municipal bonds in a rising interest rate environment. Municipal Bond Market Liquidity Risk—Inventories of municipal bonds held by brokers and dealers have decreased in recent years, lessening their ability to make a market in these securities. This reduction in market making capacity has the potential to decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell bonds, and increase bond price volatility and trading costs, particularly during periods of economic or market stress. In addition, recent federal banking regulations may cause certain dealers to reduce their inventories of municipal bonds, which may further decrease the Fund’s ability to buy or sell bonds. As a result, the Fund may be forced to accept a lower price to sell a security, to sell other securities to raise cash, or to 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 raise cash (such as to meet heavy shareholder redemptions), those sales could further reduce the bonds’ prices and hurt performance. Municipal Lease Obligations Risk—Participation interests in municipal leases pose special risks because many leases and contracts contain “non-appropriation” clauses that provide that the governmental issuer has no obligation to make future payments under the lease or contract unless money is appropriated for this purpose by the appropriate legislative body. Municipal Securities Risk—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. Tax Risk—Income from municipal bonds held by the Fund could be declared taxable because of, among other things, unfavorable changes in tax laws, adverse interpretations by the Internal Revenue Service or state tax authorities, or noncompliant conduct of a bond issuer. Investments in certain derivatives utilized by the Fund may cause the Fund to have taxable investment income. Valuation Risk—The debt securities in which the Fund invests typically are valued by a pricing service utilizing a range of market-based inputs and assumptions, including readily available market quotations obtained from broker-dealers making markets in such instruments, cash flows and transactions for comparable instruments. There is no assurance that the Fund will be able to sell a portfolio security at the price established by the pricing service, which could result in a loss to the Fund. Pricing services generally price debt securities assuming orderly transactions of an institutional “round lot” size, but some trades may occur in smaller, “odd lot” sizes, often at lower prices than institutional round lot trades. Different pricing services may incorporate different assumptions and inputs into their valuation methodologies, potentially resulting in different values for the same securities. As a result, if the Fund were to change pricing services, or if the Fund’s pricing service were to change its valuation methodology, there could be a material impact, either positive or negative, on the Fund’s net asset value. Zero Coupon Bonds Risk—Zero coupon bonds do not pay interest on a current basis and may be highly volatile as interest rates rise or fall. In addition, while such bonds generate income for purposes of generally accepted accounting standards, they do not generate cash flow and thus could cause the Fund to be forced to liquidate securities at an inopportune time in order to distribute cash, as required by tax laws.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	The price and yield of 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, 2015, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 2.74% and -1.56%, respectively, for the quarters ended September 30, 2009 and September 30, 2008.
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2015
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 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. 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 had not been in place, returns would have been reduced. Prior to February 10, 2014, Class C2 shares were designated Class C shares.
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	2.50%
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	0.41%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.20%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.09%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.70%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 320
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	468
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	630
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,099
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	320
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	468
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	630
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,099
2006	rr_AnnualReturn2006	2.95%	[4]
2007	rr_AnnualReturn2007	3.83%	[4]
2008	rr_AnnualReturn2008	(0.34%)	[4]
2009	rr_AnnualReturn2009	6.95%	[4]
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	1.83%	[4]
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	3.96%	[4]
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	2.34%	[4]
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	0.95%	[4]
2014	rr_AnnualReturn2014	0.87%	[4]
2015	rr_AnnualReturn2015	0.60%	[4]
Year to Date Return, Label	rr_YearToDateReturnLabel	year-to-date total return
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate	Jun. 30, 2016
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return	rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn	0.97%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	2.74%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(1.56%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.92%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.23%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.12%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Short Term Municipal 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	0.41%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	1.00%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.09%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.50%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 153
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	474
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	818
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,791
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	153
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	474
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	818
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,791
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.04%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.14%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Feb. 10, 2014
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | Class C2
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	0.41%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.55%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.09%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.05%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 107
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	334
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	579
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,283
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	107
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	334
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	579
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,283
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(0.75%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.90%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Aug. 31, 2011
Nuveen Short Term Municipal 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	0.41%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.09%	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.50%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 51
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	160
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	280
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	628
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	51
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	160
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	280
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 628
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.68%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.92%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.54%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | (return after taxes on distributions) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(1.92%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.23%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.11%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	(0.71%)
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.28%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.09%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Oct. 25, 2002
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | S&P Municipal Bond Short Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.88%	[5]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.43%	[5]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	2.64%	[5]
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | S&P Municipal Bond Short Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.85%	[5]
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | S&P Municipal Bond Short Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class C2
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	1.07%	[5]
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | Lipper Short Municipal Debt Funds Category Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	0.40%	[6]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	1.18%	[6]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	1.87%	[6]
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | Lipper Short Municipal Debt Funds Category Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads) | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.54%	[6]
Nuveen Short Term Municipal Bond Fund | Lipper Short Municipal Debt Funds Category Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads) | Class C2
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	0.83%	[6]

[1] The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares and Class C2 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: accounts established pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA).

[3] Other Expenses have been restated to reflect current contractual fees.

[4] Class A year-to-date total return as of June 30, 2016 was 0.97%. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures.

[5] An unleveraged, market value-weighted index containing all bonds in the S&P Municipal Bond Index that mature between 6 months and 3.999 years.

[6] Represents the average annualized returns for all reporting funds in the Lipper Short Municipal Debt Funds Category.