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Label Element Value
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Document Type dei_DocumentType 497
Document Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate Nov. 17, 2015
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName First Trust Exchange-Traded Fund VI
Central Index Key dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0001552740
Amendment Flag dei_AmendmentFlag false
Document Creation Date dei_DocumentCreationDate Nov. 17, 2015
Document Effective Date dei_DocumentEffectiveDate Nov. 17, 2015
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Nov. 17, 2015
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading

SUMMARY INFORMATION
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund (the "Fund") seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield (before the Fund's fees and expenses) of an index called the NASDAQ Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index(SM) (the "Index").
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE FUND
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

The following table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. Investors purchasing and selling shares may be subject to costs (including customary brokerage commissions) charged by their broker, which are not reflected in the table below.
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 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 96% of the average value of its portfolio.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

EXAMPLE
Expense Example, No Redemption Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionNarrativeTextBlock

The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This example does not take into account customary brokerage commissions that you pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund in the secondary market.

The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, remain at current levels until January 31, 2017 and thereafter at 1.05% to represent the imposition of the 12b-1 fee of 0.25% per annum of the Fund's average daily net assets. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund will normally invest at least 90% of its net assets (plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) in the common stocks and/or depositary receipts (20%), real estate investment trusts ("REITs") (20%), preferred securities (20%), master limited partnerships ("MLPs") (20%) and an exchange-traded fund ("ETF") (20%) that comprise the Index (each, an "Index Segment"). The percentages provided above reflect the approximate percentages of each of the Index Segments included in the Index as of each quarterly rebalance. The percentages will vary from these amounts between rebalances of the Index.

The Fund, using an indexing investment approach, attempts to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the Index. First Trust Advisors L.P. ("First Trust" or the "Advisor"), the Fund's investment advisor, seeks a correlation of 0.95 or better (before fees and expenses) between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Index; a figure of 1.00 would represent perfect correlation.

The Index is owned and was developed by The NASDAQ(R) OMX Group, Inc. (the "Index Provider"). The Index Provider also calculates and maintains the Index. The Index is designed to provide access to a diversified portfolio of small, mid and large capitalization income producing securities, which are composed of domestic and international dividend-paying stocks, REITs, oil and gas or basic materials MLPs, U.S.-listed preferred securities and an ETF that invests in high yield or "junk" bonds. International securities included in the index are U.S.-listed securities of non-U.S. companies, some of which may be located in emerging markets.

The Index employs a modified market cap weighting methodology which assigns a pre-set weight to the five Index Segments at each quarterly rebalance. Each Index Segment has a set of separate and distinct eligibility rules and weighting procedures as described in this prospectus under "Index Information."

The Index Provider evaluates the Index components quarterly in March, June, September and December of each year for eligibility, using market data through the end of January, April, July and October, respectively. Eligible components for the Index are identified as such using the eligibility criteria set forth in this prospectus under "Index Information." The Index is rebalanced quarterly. Rebalancing is effective as of the market close of the third Friday in March, June, September and December. The reference dates for the data used in the rebalancing are at the close of trading on the last trading day in January, April, July and October, respectively. As of December 31, 2014, the Index was comprised of 119 securities.

The Fund intends to invest entirely in securities included in the Index; however, there may also be instances in which the Fund may be underweighted or overweighted in certain securities in the Index, not invested in certain securities included in the Index, purchases securities not in the Index that are appropriate to substitute for certain securities in the Index or utilizes various combinations of the above techniques in seeking to track the Index.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading

PRINCIPAL RISKS
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

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 governmental agency. There can be no assurance that the Fund's investment objective will be achieved.

CREDIT RISK. Credit risk is the risk that an issuer of a security will be unable or unwilling to make dividend, interest and/or principal payments when due and the related risk that the value of a security may decline because of concerns about the issuer's ability to make such payments. Credit risk may be heightened if the ETF in which the Fund invests holds "high yield" or "junk" securities. Such securities, while generally offering higher yields than investment grade debt with similar maturities, involve greater risks, including the possibility of dividend or interest deferral, default or bankruptcy, and are regarded as predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's capacity to pay dividends or interest and repay principal.

DEPOSITARY RECEIPTS RISK. Depositary receipts may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market. Any distributions paid to the holders of depositary receipts are usually subject to a fee charged by the depositary. Holders of depositary receipts may have limited voting rights, and investment restrictions in certain countries may adversely impact the value of depositary receipts because such restrictions may limit the ability to convert the equity shares into depositary receipts and vice versa. Such restrictions may cause the equity shares of the underlying issuer to trade at a discount or premium to the market price of the depositary receipts.

EQUITY SECURITIES RISK. Because the Fund invests in equity securities, the value of the Fund's shares will fluctuate with changes in the value of these equity securities. Equity securities prices fluctuate for several reasons, including changes in investors' perceptions of the financial condition of an issuer or the general condition of the relevant stock market, such as current market volatility, or when political or economic events affecting the issuers occur. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, as the cost of capital rises and borrowing costs increase.

ETF RISK. An ETF trades like common stock and represents a portfolio of securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile and ETFs have management fees that increase their costs.

FIXED INCOME SECURITIES RISK. The Fund invests in an ETF that invests in fixed income securities. Fixed income securities are subject to credit risk and interest rate risk. The ETF may invest in high yield fixed income securities, commonly referred to as "junk" bonds.

HIGH YIELD SECURITIES RISK. The ETF in which the Fund invests may invest in high yield securities, or "junk" bonds. High yield securities are subject to greater market fluctuations and risk of loss than securities with higher ratings, and therefore, may be highly speculative. These securities are issued by companies that may have limited operating history, narrowly focused operations, and/or other impediments to the timely payment of periodic interest and principal at maturity. If the economy slows down or dips into recession, the issuers of high yield securities may not have sufficient resources to continue making timely payment of periodic interest and principal at maturity. The market for high yield securities is smaller and less liquid than that for investment grade securities. High yield securities are generally not listed on a national securities exchange but trade in the over-the-counter markets. Due to the smaller, less liquid market for high yield securities, the bid-offer spread on such securities is generally greater than it is for investment grade securities and the purchase or sale of such securities may take longer to complete.

INDEX CORRELATION RISK. You should anticipate that the value of Fund shares will decline more or less in correlation with any decline in the value of the Fund's Index.

INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANIES RISK. The Fund invests in infrastructure companies and is subject to certain risks inherent in investing in these types of securities. Infrastructure companies may be directly affected by energy commodity prices, especially those infrastructure companies that own the underlying energy commodity. A decrease in the production or availability of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, coal or other energy commodities or a decrease in the volume of such commodities available for transportation, processing, storage or distribution may adversely impact the financial performance of infrastructure companies. Infrastructure companies are subject to significant federal, state and local government regulation in virtually every aspect of their operations, including how facilities are constructed, maintained and operated, environmental and safety controls, and the prices they may charge for products and services. Various governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with these regulations and the permits issued under them and violators are subject to administrative, civil and criminal penalties, including civil fines, injunctions or both. Stricter laws, regulations or enforcement policies could be enacted in the future which would likely increase compliance costs and may adversely affect the financial performance of infrastructure companies. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico, also may impact infrastructure companies.

Certain infrastructure companies in the utilities industry are subject to the imposition of rate caps, increased competition due to deregulation, the difficulty in obtaining an adequate return on invested capital or in financing large construction projects, the limitations on operations and increased costs and delays attributable to environmental considerations, and the capital market's ability to absorb utility debt. In addition, taxes, government regulation, global politics, price and supply fluctuations, volatile interest rates and energy conservation may cause difficulties for these companies. Such issuers have been experiencing certain of these problems to varying degrees.

INTEREST RATE RISK. The Fund is subject to interest rate risk because the value of the debt securities held by the ETF, preferred securities held by the Fund, and REITs in which the Fund invests will decline with rising market interest rates. Interest rate risk is generally lower for shorter-term investments and higher for longer-term investments. Increases in interest rates typically lower the present value of a REIT's future earnings stream, and may make financing property purchases and improvements more costly. Because the market price of REIT stocks may change based upon investors' collective perceptions of future earnings, the value of the Fund will generally decline when investors anticipate or experience rising interest rates.

Rising interest rates could adversely impact the financial performance of MLPs. Rising interest rates may increase an MLP's cost of capital, which would increase operating costs and may reduce an MLP's ability to execute acquisitions or expansion projects in a cost-effective manner. Rising interest rates may also impact the price of MLP units as the yields on alternative investments increase.

MARKET RISK. Market risk is the risk that a particular security owned by the Fund or shares of the Fund in general may fall in value. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments.

MLP RISK. An investment in MLP units involves risks which differ from an investment in common stock of a corporation. Holders of MLP units have limited control and voting rights on matters affecting the partnership. In addition, there are certain tax risks associated with an investment in MLP units and conflicts of interest exist between common unit holders and the general partner, including those arising from incentive distribution payments. In addition, there is the risk that a MLP could be, contrary to its intention, taxed as a corporation, resulting in decreased returns from such MLP.

NON-CORRELATION RISK. The Fund's return may not match the return of the Index for a number of reasons. For example, the Fund incurs operating expenses not applicable to the Index, and may incur costs in buying and selling securities, especially when rebalancing the Fund's portfolio holdings to reflect changes in the composition of the Index. In addition, the Fund's portfolio holdings may not exactly replicate the securities included in the Index or the ratios between the securities included in the Index.

NON-U.S. SECURITIES AND EMERGING MARKETS RISK. Non-U.S. securities are subject to higher volatility than securities of domestic issuers due to possible adverse political, social or economic developments; restrictions on foreign investment or exchange of securities; lack of liquidity; currency exchange rates; excessive taxation; government seizure of assets; different legal or accounting standards and less government supervision and regulation of exchanges in foreign countries. These risks may be heightened for securities of companies located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries.

PREFERRED SECURITIES RISK. Preferred securities combine some of the characteristics of both common stocks and bonds. Preferred securities are typically subordinated to bonds and other debt instruments in a company's capital structure, in terms of priority to corporate income, and therefore will be subject to greater credit risk than those debt instruments. Preferred securities are also subject to credit risk, interest rate risk and income risk.

REIT INVESTMENT RISK. Because the Fund invests in REITs, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with investing in real estate, which may include, but are not limited to, fluctuations in the value of underlying properties; defaults by borrowers or tenants; market saturation; changes in general and local operating expenses; and other economic, political or regulatory occurrences affecting companies in the real estate industry. In addition to risks related to investments in real estate generally, investing in REITs involves certain other risks related to their structure and focus, which include, but are not limited to, dependency upon management skills, limited diversification, the risks of locating and managing financing for projects, heavy cash flow dependency, possible default by borrowers, the costs and potential losses of self-liquidation of one or more holdings, the risk of a possible lack of mortgage funds and associated interest rate risks, overbuilding, property vacancies, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, losses due to environmental damages, changes in neighborhood values and appeal to purchases, the possibility of failing to maintain exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act and, in many cases, relatively small market capitalization, which may result in less market liquidity and greater price volatility. REITs are also subject to the risk that the real estate market may experience an economic downturn generally, which may have a material effect on the real estate in which the REITs invest and their underlying portfolio securities.

REPLICATION MANAGEMENT RISK. The Fund is exposed to additional market risk due to its policy of investing principally in the securities included in the Index. As a result of this policy, securities held by the Fund will generally not be bought or sold in response to market fluctuations.

SMALLER COMPANIES RISK. The Fund invests in small and/or mid capitalization companies. Such companies may be more vulnerable to adverse general market or economic developments, and their securities may be less liquid and may experience greater price volatility than larger, more established companies as a result of several factors, including limited trading volumes, products or financial resources, management inexperience and less publicly available information. Accordingly, such companies are generally subject to greater market risk than larger, more established companies.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading

MULTI-ASSET DIVERSIFIED INCOME INDEX FUND--TOTAL RETURN
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block] rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock

The bar chart and table below illustrate the annual calendar year returns of the Fund based on net asset value for the past two years as well as the average annual Fund and Index returns for the one year and since inception periods ended December 31, 2014. The bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund's average annual total returns based on net asset value compare to those of the Index and two broad-based securities market indices. See "Total Return Information" for additional performance information regarding the Fund. The Fund's performance information is accessible on the Fund's website at www.ftportfolios.com.

Returns before taxes do not reflect the effects of any income or capital gains taxes. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of any state or local tax. Returns after taxes on distributions reflect the taxed return on the payment of dividends and capital gains. Returns after taxes on distributions and sale of shares assume you sold your shares at period end, and, therefore, are also adjusted for any capital gains or losses incurred. Returns for the market indices do not include expenses, which are deducted from Fund returns, or taxes.

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 individual retirement accounts (IRAs) or employee-sponsored retirement plans.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

During the two-year period ended December 31, 2014, the Fund's highest and lowest calendar quarter returns were 11.30% and -2.61%, respectively, for the quarters ended March 31, 2013 and September 30, 2014. The Fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2014
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund | Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.60%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none [1]
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets none
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.20%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.80%
Fee Waiver rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.12%) [2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.68%
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 $ 79
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 301
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 548
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,255
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 10.86%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 7.91%
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.91%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.24%
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Aug. 13, 2012
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund | After Taxes on Distributions | Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 5.32%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.81%
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund | After Taxes on Distributions and Sales | Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.47%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.23%
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund | NASDAQ Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 8.88%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 9.07%
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund | S&P 500 Index  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.69%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 19.95%
Multi-Asset Diversified Income Index Fund | Dow Jones U.S. Select Dividend Index  
Risk Return Abstract rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.36%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 19.03%
[1] Although the Fund has adopted a 12b-1 plan that permits it to pay up to 0.25% per annum, it will not pay 12b-1 fees at any time before January 31, 2017.
[2] Pursuant to a contractual agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and the Fund's investment advisor, the management fees paid to the Fund's investment advisor will be reduced by the proportional amount of the management fees earned by the Fund on assets invested in other investment companies advised by the Fund's investment advisor. This contractual agreement shall continue until the earliest of (i) January 31, 2016, (ii) its termination at the direction of the Trust's Board of Trustees or (iii) upon the termination of the Investment Management Agreement by and between the Fund, the Trust and the Fund's investment advisor.