Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Jan. 24, 2020
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Medtronic plc and its subsidiaries (Medtronic plc, Medtronic, or the Company) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S.) (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, the consolidated financial statements include all of the adjustments necessary for a fair statement in conformity with U.S. GAAP. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year financial statements to conform to classifications used in the current year. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the fiscal year as a whole. The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and the related disclosures at the date of the financial statements and during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates.
Consolidation	The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Medtronic plc, its wholly-owned subsidiaries, entities for which the Company has a controlling financial interest, and variable interest entities for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Fiscal Period	The Company’s fiscal years 2020, 2019, and 2018 will end or ended on April 24, 2020, April 26, 2019, and April 27, 2018, respectively. The Company's fiscal year 2021 is a 53-week year, with the extra week occurring during the first quarter, and will end on April 30, 2021.
New Accounting Pronouncements	Recently Adopted Leases In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance which requires lessees to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. This guidance also requires additional qualitative and quantitative lease related disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance using the modified retrospective method in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. During the implementation of this recently adopted accounting standard, the Company elected the package of practical expedients available under the transition guidance that allowed an entity not to reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, the classification for any expired or existing leases or any initial direct costs for existing leases. Further, the Company made accounting policy elections to not apply the recognition requirements to short-term leases and to account for lease and nonlease components as a single lease component. The adoption of this guidance resulted in the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities in an amount of approximately $1.0 billion, an immaterial cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of April 27, 2019, and expansion of lease related disclosures. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated statements of income or consolidated statements of cash flows. Others In August 2017, the FASB issued guidance to better align an entity's risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. The Company adopted this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. The adoption of this guidance resulted in expanded disclosures and did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements. Not Yet Adopted In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance which changes the methodology to be used to measure credit losses for certain financial instruments and financial assets, including trade receivables. The new methodology requires the recognition of an allowance that reflects the current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of the financial asset. The new standard will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. The Company does not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

Basis of Presentation (Policies)

9 Months Ended

Jan. 24, 2020

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Medtronic plc and its subsidiaries (Medtronic plc, Medtronic, or the Company) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S.) (U.S. GAAP) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. In the opinion of management, the consolidated financial statements include all of the adjustments necessary for a fair statement in conformity with U.S. GAAP. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior year financial statements to conform to classifications used in the current year. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for the fiscal year as a whole. The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses, and the related disclosures at the date of the financial statements and during the reporting period. Actual results could materially differ from these estimates.

Consolidation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Medtronic plc, its wholly-owned subsidiaries, entities for which the Company has a controlling financial interest, and variable interest entities for which the Company is the primary beneficiary. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.

Fiscal Period

The Company’s fiscal years 2020, 2019, and 2018 will end or ended on April 24, 2020, April 26, 2019, and April 27, 2018, respectively. The Company's fiscal year 2021 is a 53-week year, with the extra week occurring during the first quarter, and will end on April 30, 2021.

New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued guidance which requires lessees to recognize right-of-use assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet. This guidance also requires additional qualitative and quantitative lease related disclosures in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. The Company adopted this guidance using the modified retrospective method in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020.

During the implementation of this recently adopted accounting standard, the Company elected the package of practical expedients available under the transition guidance that allowed an entity not to reassess whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain leases, the classification for any expired or existing leases or any initial direct costs for existing leases. Further, the Company made accounting policy elections to not apply the recognition requirements to short-term leases and to account for lease and nonlease components as a single lease component.

The adoption of this guidance resulted in the recognition of right-of-use assets and lease liabilities in an amount of approximately $1.0 billion, an immaterial cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of April 27, 2019, and expansion of lease related disclosures. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated statements of income or consolidated statements of cash flows.

Others

In August 2017, the FASB issued guidance to better align an entity's risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. The Company adopted this guidance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. The adoption of this guidance resulted in expanded disclosures and did not have an impact on the Company's consolidated financial statements.

Not Yet Adopted

In June 2016, the FASB issued guidance which changes the methodology to be used to measure credit losses for certain financial instruments and financial assets, including trade receivables. The new methodology requires the recognition of an allowance that reflects the current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of the financial asset. The new standard will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal year 2021. The Company does not expect the adoption of the guidance to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.