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Stockholders' Equity, Comprehensive Income and Share-Based Compensation (Details Textual) (USD $)
0 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 6 Months Ended 36 Months Ended
Mar. 05, 2012
Mar. 31, 2015
Dec. 31, 2014
Apr. 26, 2015
Apr. 27, 2014
Apr. 26, 2015
employee_stock_purchase_plans
Apr. 27, 2014
Mar. 31, 2015
Equity [Line Items]                
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax       $ (48,000,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossNetOfTaxPortionAttributableToParent $ 3,000,000us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossNetOfTaxPortionAttributableToParent $ (49,000,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossNetOfTaxPortionAttributableToParent $ (3,000,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossNetOfTaxPortionAttributableToParent  
Amount authorized by Board of directors to repurchase shares 3,000,000,000.0us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1     3,000,000,000.0us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1   3,000,000,000.0us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramAuthorizedAmount1    
Period of stock repurchase program 3 years         3 years    
Number of shares repurchased       0us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares 0us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares 0us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares 0us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares 1,400,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchasedDuringPeriodShares
Remaining amount authorized to be repurchased       3,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramRemainingAuthorizedRepurchaseAmount1   3,000,000,000us-gaap_StockRepurchaseProgramRemainingAuthorizedRepurchaseAmount1    
Cash dividend declared (in dollars per share)   $ 0.10us-gaap_CommonStockDividendsPerShareDeclared $ 0.10us-gaap_CommonStockDividendsPerShareDeclared          
Dividend declared, amount           246,000,000us-gaap_DividendsCommonStockCash 243,000,000us-gaap_DividendsCommonStockCash  
Number of employee stock purchase plans           2amat_SharebasedCompensationNumberofEmployeeStockPurchasePlans    
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, United States [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Number of employee stock purchase plans           1amat_SharebasedCompensationNumberofEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= amat_EmployeeStockPurchasePlanDomesticMember
   
Employee Stock Purchase Plan, International [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Number of employee stock purchase plans           1amat_SharebasedCompensationNumberofEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= amat_EmployeeStockPurchasePlanForeignMember
   
Employee Stock Purchase Plan [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Number of shares available for grant (in shares)       32,000,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= amat_EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember
  32,000,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
/ us-gaap_PlanNameAxis
= amat_EmployeeStockPurchasePlanMember
   
Employee Stock [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Total unrecognized compensation expense       326,000,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
  326,000,000us-gaap_EmployeeServiceShareBasedCompensationNonvestedAwardsTotalCompensationCostNotYetRecognized
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
   
Weighted average period for unrecognized compensation expense to be recognized (in years)           2 years 8 months 15 days    
Number of shares available for grant (in shares)       168,000,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
  168,000,000us-gaap_ShareBasedCompensationArrangementByShareBasedPaymentAwardNumberOfSharesAvailableForGrant
/ us-gaap_AwardTypeAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
   
Restricted Stock Units, Restricted Stock, Performance Shares and Performance Units [Member] | Certain Executive Officers [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Measurement period for achieving TSR goals           2 years    
Minimum [Member] | Restricted Stock Units, Restricted Stock, Performance Shares and Performance Units [Member] | Certain Executive Officers [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Vesting period for performance-based awards           3 years    
Maximum [Member] | Restricted Stock Units, Restricted Stock, Performance Shares and Performance Units [Member] | Certain Executive Officers [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Vesting period for performance-based awards           4 years    
Defined and Postretirement Benefit Plans [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Other comprehensive loss, net of tax           $ (43,000,000)us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossNetOfTaxPortionAttributableToParent
/ us-gaap_StatementEquityComponentsAxis
= us-gaap_AccumulatedDefinedBenefitPlansAdjustmentMember
$ 0us-gaap_OtherComprehensiveIncomeLossNetOfTaxPortionAttributableToParent
/ us-gaap_StatementEquityComponentsAxis
= us-gaap_AccumulatedDefinedBenefitPlansAdjustmentMember
 
Employee Stock [Member]                
Equity [Line Items]                
Purchase price of common stock, percent           85.00%us-gaap_SharebasedCompensationArrangementBySharebasedPaymentAwardPurchasePriceOfCommonStockPercent
/ us-gaap_SubsidiarySaleOfStockAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
   
Purchase period           6 months    
Number of shares issued under the ESPP       2,000,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_SubsidiarySaleOfStockAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
3,000,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_SubsidiarySaleOfStockAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
2,000,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_SubsidiarySaleOfStockAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember
3,000,000us-gaap_StockIssuedDuringPeriodSharesEmployeeStockPurchasePlans
/ us-gaap_SubsidiarySaleOfStockAxis
= us-gaap_EmployeeStockMember