Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	6 Months Ended
Oct. 02, 2015
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies	Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies Business Symantec Corporation (“Symantec,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “the Company” refer to Symantec Corporation and all of its subsidiaries) is an information protection expert that helps people, businesses and governments seeking the freedom to unlock the opportunities technology brings – anytime, anywhere. In the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell the assets of our information management business to The Carlyle Group and certain co-investors (“Carlyle”). The sale is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2016, subject to regulatory approvals and certain closing conditions, including the operational separation, in all material respects, of the information management business. For additional information about the planned divestiture of our information management business see Note 3. Basis of presentation The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("U.S.") for interim financial information and with the instructions on Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). In accordance with those rules and regulations, we have omitted certain information and notes normally provided in our annual Consolidated Financial Statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring items, except as otherwise noted, necessary for the fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the interim periods. These unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2015. The results of operations for the three and six months ended October 2, 2015, are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the entire fiscal year. We have a 52/53-week fiscal accounting year. Unless otherwise stated, references to three and six month ended periods in this report relate to fiscal periods ended October 2, 2015 and October 3, 2014. The six months ended October 2, 2015, consisted of 26 weeks whereas the six months ended October 3, 2014, consisted of 27 weeks. Our 2016 fiscal year consists of 52 weeks and ends on April 1, 2016. There have been no material changes in our significant accounting policies for the three and six months ended October 2, 2015, compared to the significant accounting policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2015. Recently adopted accounting guidance In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements and Property, Plant and Equipment, that provides new guidance related to reporting discontinued operations. This standard raises the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation and requires new disclosures of both discontinued operations and certain other disposals that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. The standard became effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, and will apply to the presentation and disclosure of the planned divestiture of our information management business that is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2016. The accounting guidance will impact our financial statements by requiring additional disclosures related to the planned divestiture. For additional information about the planned divestiture of our information management business see Note 3. In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation, which modifies the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities qualify as variable interest entities (“VIEs”). The new standard also affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs. We adopted the standard in the second quarter of fiscal 2016, and it did not have a material impact upon adoption. In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest–Imputation of Interest, which requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related liability. We adopted the standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, and it did not have a material impact upon adoption. Recent accounting guidance not yet adopted In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, that requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers and will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date of the new revenue reporting standard by one year. The standard will be effective for the Company on March 31, 2018. We are evaluating the effect that the standard will have on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor have we determined the effect of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting. There is no other recently issued authoritative guidance that is expected to have a material impact to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements through the reporting date.

Description of Business and Significant Accounting Policies

Business

Symantec Corporation (“Symantec,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “the Company” refer to Symantec Corporation and all of its subsidiaries) is an information protection expert that helps people, businesses and governments seeking the freedom to unlock the opportunities technology brings – anytime, anywhere.

In the second quarter of fiscal 2016, we entered into a definitive agreement to sell the assets of our information management business to The Carlyle Group and certain co-investors (“Carlyle”). The sale is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2016, subject to regulatory approvals and certain closing conditions, including the operational separation, in all material respects, of the information management business. For additional information about the planned divestiture of our information management business see Note 3.

Basis of presentation

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America ("U.S.") for interim financial information and with the instructions on Form 10-Q pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). In accordance with those rules and regulations, we have omitted certain information and notes normally provided in our annual Consolidated Financial Statements. In the opinion of management, the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements contain all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring items, except as otherwise noted, necessary for the fair presentation of our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows for the interim periods. These unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2015. The results of operations for the three and six months ended October 2, 2015, are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the entire fiscal year.

We have a 52/53-week fiscal accounting year. Unless otherwise stated, references to three and six month ended periods in this report relate to fiscal periods ended October 2, 2015 and October 3, 2014. The six months ended October 2, 2015, consisted of 26 weeks whereas the six months ended October 3, 2014, consisted of 27 weeks. Our 2016 fiscal year consists of 52 weeks and ends on April 1, 2016.

There have been no material changes in our significant accounting policies for the three and six months ended October 2, 2015, compared to the significant accounting policies described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 3, 2015.

Recently adopted accounting guidance

In April 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements and Property, Plant and Equipment, that provides new guidance related to reporting discontinued operations. This standard raises the threshold for a disposal to qualify as a discontinued operation and requires new disclosures of both discontinued operations and certain other disposals that do not meet the definition of a discontinued operation. The standard became effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, and will apply to the presentation and disclosure of the planned divestiture of our information management business that is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2016. The accounting guidance will impact our financial statements by requiring additional disclosures related to the planned divestiture. For additional information about the planned divestiture of our information management business see Note 3.

In February 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation, which modifies the evaluation of whether limited partnerships and similar legal entities qualify as variable interest entities (“VIEs”). The new standard also affects the consolidation analysis of reporting entities that are involved with VIEs. We adopted the standard in the second quarter of fiscal 2016, and it did not have a material impact upon adoption.

In April 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-03, Interest–Imputation of Interest, which requires debt issuance costs to be presented as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of the related liability. We adopted the standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, and it did not have a material impact upon adoption.

Recent accounting guidance not yet adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, that requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers and will replace most existing revenue recognition guidance in U.S. GAAP. The standard permits the use of either the retrospective or cumulative effect transition method. In August 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers: Deferral of the Effective Date, which defers the effective date of the new revenue reporting standard by one year. The standard will be effective for the Company on March 31, 2018. We are evaluating the effect that the standard will have on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and related disclosures. We have not yet selected a transition method nor have we determined the effect of the standard on our ongoing financial reporting.

There is no other recently issued authoritative guidance that is expected to have a material impact to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements through the reporting date.