Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	3 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	May 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of presentation	Basis of presentation The unaudited interim consolidated financial statements as of and for the three months ended May 31, 2017 have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for interim financial reporting. These consolidated statements are unaudited and, in the opinion of management, include all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments and accruals) necessary for a fair statement of the consolidated balance sheets, consolidated operating results, consolidated other comprehensive income and consolidated cash flows for the periods presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). Operating results for the three months ended May 31, 2017 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending February 28, 2018. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP have been omitted in accordance with the SEC’s rules and regulations for interim reporting. These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements, including notes thereto, included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2017. There have been no changes to the Company’s significant accounting policies from those described in NOTE 2—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies to the Consolidated Financial Statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2017. These unaudited financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in the Annual Report on Form 10-K. Certain amounts for the three months ended May 31, 2016 have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation.
Consolidation policy	Consolidation policy The accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and all of its wholly owned subsidiaries. All significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. There are no foreign currency exchange restrictions that are significant to the Company’s foreign subsidiaries.
Use of estimates	Use of estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the balance sheet dates and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from such estimates.
Accounting pronouncements being evaluated	Accounting pronouncements being evaluated In May 2017, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting (“ASU 2017-09”). The FASB issued ASU 2017-09 to clarify and reduce both (i) diversity in practice and (ii) cost and complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718, to a change to the terms and conditions of a share-based payment award. This guidance is effective for the Company as of the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ending February 28, 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The amendments in this ASU should be applied prospectively to an award modified on or after the adoption date. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this updated standard, but does not believe this update will have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2017-04, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“ASU 2017-04”). The FASB issued ASU 2017-04 to simplify the subsequent measurement of goodwill by eliminating Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. Under this updated standard, an entity should recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, but the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. An entity also should consider income tax effects from any tax-deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if any. The FASB also eliminated the requirement for reporting units with a zero or negative carrying amount to first perform a qualitative assessment. This guidance is effective for the Company as of the first quarter of its fiscal year ending February 29, 2020. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of this updated standard, but does not believe this update will have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements. In August 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230): Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments (“ASU 2016-15”). The FASB issued ASU 2016-15 to decrease the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in this update provide guidance on eight specific cash flow issues. This guidance is effective for the Company as of the first quarter of its fiscal year ending February 28, 2019 and should be applied using the retrospective transition method to each period presented. Early adoption is permitted but all amendments must be adopted in the same period. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this updated standard will have on its consolidated financial statements. In February 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”). The FASB issued ASU 2016-02 to increase transparency and comparability among organizations with respect to accounting for leases. Under ASU 2016-02, lessees will recognize a right-of-use asset and a lease liability for virtually all of their leases (other than leases that meet the definition of a short-term lease). The liability will be equal to the present value of lease payments. The asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs. For income statement purposes, the FASB retained a dual model, requiring leases to be classified as either operating or finance. This guidance is effective for the Company as of the first quarter of its fiscal year ending February 28, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this updated standard will have on its consolidated financial statements. In January 2016, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2016-01, Financial Instruments—Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (“ASU 2016-01”). The FASB issued ASU 2016-01 to require equity investments with readily determinable fair values to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income. Equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values are allowed to be remeasured upon the occurrence of an observable price change or upon identification of an impairment. This guidance is effective for the Company as of the first quarter of the fiscal year ending February 28, 2019. The Company is currently evaluating the impact that this updated standard will have on its consolidated financial statements. In May 2014, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, now referred to as Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606 (“ASC 606”). The FASB issued ASC 606 to clarify the principles for recognizing revenue and to develop a common revenue standard for U.S. GAAP and International Financial Reporting Standards. The standard outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes the most current revenue recognition guidance. This guidance is effective for the Company beginning the first quarter of its fiscal year ending February 28, 2019. The standard must be adopted using either a full retrospective approach for all periods presented in the period of adoption or a modified retrospective approach. The Company has substantially completed its preliminary assessment of the potential impact that the implementation of this updated standard will have on its consolidated financial statements. With respect to the Company’s software subscription offerings, the Company provides value to its customers through continuous aggregation, integration, testing, certification, maintenance, enhancement and support of the open source technologies that it distributes. The Company currently recognizes subscription revenue ratably over the subscription period. Under the updated standard, these subscription attributes represent a series of performance obligations that are delivered over time, primarily on a stand-ready basis (for example, attributes such as updates, upgrades, and support are not forced upon subscribers but rather made available to subscribers). As a result, the Company believes that its subscription revenue meets the criteria for revenue recognition over time and will continue to be recognized ratably under the updated standard. The Company also offers professional consulting and training services that are designed to help customers derive additional value from Red Hat technologies. Under the updated guidance, revenue from professional consulting and training services that were previously sold on a standalone basis will continue to be recognized over time as the Company satisfies its performance obligations by delivering and transferring such services to the customer. With respect to customer contracts with multiple elements (such as software subscriptions and professional consulting and training services), under the current standard the Company allocates total contract revenue to each element’s relative fair value when the Company can demonstrate sufficient vendor-specific objective evidence (“VSOE”) of the fair value of at least those elements that are undelivered. For multiple-element contracts in which one or more of the undelivered elements lacks VSOE, the Company defers recognition of any revenue until the elements lacking VSOE have been delivered. However, under the updated standard, the Company will be required to allocate total contract revenue to each element (referred to as a distinct performance obligation under the updated standard) based on either an established or estimated standalone selling price. The Company would then recognize the allocated revenue as each element (performance obligation) is delivered. Because the Company has historically established VSOE for most of its offerings and as a result has not been required to defer a significant amount of revenue due to insufficient VSOE, the Company does not anticipate the updated standard’s requirement to establish or estimate a standalone selling price, rather than defer revenues in the absence of VSOE, to have a significant impact on the Company’s financial statements. The Company continues to assess the impact of the updated guidance, including for example, any potential changes to and investments in the Company’s policies, processes, systems and internal controls over financial reporting that may be required to comply with new guidance related to variable consideration, contract modifications, allocation of discounts and expanded disclosures. The Company has not yet finalized its decision with respect to transition method.
Identifiable Intangible Assets	Identifiable intangible assets consist primarily of trademarks, copyrights and patents, purchased technologies, customer and reseller relationships and covenants not to compete, all of which are amortized over the estimated useful life, generally on a straight-line basis, with the exception of customer and reseller relationships, which are generally amortized over the greater of straight-line or the related asset’s pattern of economic benefit. Useful lives range from two to 10 years. As of May 31, 2017 and February 28, 2017, trademarks with an indefinite estimated useful life totaled $11.3 million and $10.9 million, respectively.
Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value	Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for the purchase of an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for such asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. Valuation techniques used to measure fair value should maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. To measure fair value, the Company uses the following fair value hierarchy based on three levels of inputs, of which the first two are considered observable and the last unobservable: Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. Level 2—Inputs other than Level 1 that are observable, either directly or indirectly, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities. Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. The Company’s investments are comprised primarily of debt securities that are classified as available for sale and recorded at their fair market values. Liquid investments with effective maturities of three months or less at the date of purchase are classified as cash equivalents. Investments with remaining effective maturities of twelve months or less from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments. Investments with remaining effective maturities of more than twelve months from the balance sheet date are classified as long-term investments. The Company’s Level 1 financial instruments are valued using quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments. The Company’s Level 2 financial instruments, including derivative instruments, are valued using quoted prices for identical instruments in less active markets or using other observable market inputs for comparable instruments. Unrealized gains and temporary losses on investments classified as available for sale are included within accumulated other comprehensive income, net of any related tax effect. Realized gains and losses are recorded using the specific identification method and upon realization, such amounts are reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income to Other income (expense), net. Realized gains and losses and other than temporary impairments, if any, are reflected in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Operations as Other income (expense), net. The Company does not recognize changes in the fair value of its investments in income unless a decline in value is considered other than temporary. The vast majority of the Company’s investments are priced by pricing vendors. These pricing vendors use the most recent observable market information in pricing these securities or, if specific prices are not available for these securities, use other observable inputs. In the event observable inputs are not available, the Company assesses other factors to determine the security’s market value, including broker quotes or model valuations. Independent price verifications of all holdings are performed by pricing vendors, which are then reviewed by the Company. In the event a price fails a pre-established tolerance check, it is researched so that the Company can assess the cause of the variance to determine what the Company believes is the appropriate fair market value. The Company minimizes its credit risk associated with investments by investing primarily in investment-grade, liquid securities. The Company’s policy is designed to limit exposures to any one issuer depending on credit quality. Periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of those issuers are considered in the Company’s investment strategy.
Derivative Instruments	The Company transacts business in various foreign countries and is, therefore, subject to risk of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. The Company from time to time enters into forward contracts to economically hedge transactional exposure associated with commitments arising from trade accounts receivable, trade accounts payable and fixed purchase obligations denominated in a currency other than the functional currency of the respective operating entity. All derivative instruments are recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets at their respective fair market values. The Company has elected not to prepare and maintain the documentation required to qualify for hedge accounting treatment and, therefore, changes in fair value are recorded in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
Share Based Awards	The Company measures share-based compensation cost at the grant date, based on the estimated fair value of the award and recognizes the cost over the employee requisite service period, typically on a straight-line basis. The Company estimates the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes-Merton valuation model. The fair value of nonvested share awards, nonvested share units and performance share units are measured at their underlying closing share price on the day of grant.