Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities, Transactions with Consolidated VIEs and Secured Borrowings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Jun. 30, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets	[1]	$ 1,930,871	$ 1,930,115
Liabilities	[2]	(1,724,726)	(1,729,618)
Noncontrolling interests		(915)	(916)
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Long-term debt		238,869	255,077
Total secured borrowings [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		801	1,612
Total secured borrowings [Member] | Municipal tender option bond securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		677	1,473
Total secured borrowings [Member] | Residential mortgage securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		124	139
Consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		13,834	14,017
Assets		13,021	13,414
Liabilities		(2,959)	(3,834)
Noncontrolling interests		(86)	(138)
Net assets		9,976	9,442
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Long-term debt		2,835	3,694
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial real estate loans [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		1,922	1,516
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		8,698	8,821
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		3,006	3,349
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Structured asset finance [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		16	23
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Investment funds [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		52	142
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Other securitizations and transactions [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		140	166
Total secured borrowings and consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		14,635	15,629
Carrying value [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Long-term debt		238,862	255,070
Carrying value [Member] | Total secured borrowings [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		709	1,136
Liabilities		(662)	(1,043)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		47	93
Carrying value [Member] | Total secured borrowings [Member] | Municipal tender option bond securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		588	998
Liabilities		(540)	(907)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		48	91
Carrying value [Member] | Total secured borrowings [Member] | Residential mortgage securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		121	138
Liabilities		(122)	(136)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		(1)	2
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		13,021	13,414
Liabilities		(2,959)	(3,834)
Noncontrolling interests		(86)	(138)
Net assets		9,976	9,442
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial real estate loans [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		1,922	1,516
Liabilities		0	0
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		1,922	1,516
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		8,279	8,623
Liabilities		(2,055)	(2,819)
Noncontrolling interests		(13)	(14)
Net assets		6,211	5,790
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		2,637	2,974
Liabilities		(895)	(1,003)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		1,742	1,971
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Structured asset finance [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		10	13
Liabilities		(7)	(9)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		3	4
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Investment funds [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		52	142
Liabilities		(1)	(2)
Noncontrolling interests		(32)	(67)
Net assets		19	73
Carrying value [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Other securitizations and transactions [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		121	146
Liabilities		(1)	(1)
Noncontrolling interests		(41)	(57)
Net assets		79	88
Carrying value [Member] | Total secured borrowings and consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		13,730	14,550
Liabilities		(3,621)	(4,877)
Noncontrolling interests		(86)	(138)
Net assets		10,023	9,535
Long-term debt [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Private placement debt financing			6,000
Loans [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Assets pledged to collateralize the borrowings of variable interest entity			434
Available-for-sale securities [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Assets pledged to collateralize the borrowings of variable interest entity			$ 6,100
Senior notes [Member]
Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities Textual [Abstract]
Long-term debt		$ 1,000

[1] Our consolidated assets at June 30, 2017, and December 31, 2016, include the following assets of certain variable interest entities (VIEs) that can only be used to settle the liabilities of those VIEs: Cash and due from banks, $112 million and $168 million; Federal funds sold, securities purchased under resale agreements and other short-term investments, $424 million and $74 million; Trading assets, $50 million and $130 million; Investment securities, $0 million at both period ends; Net loans, $12.1 billion and $12.6 billion; Derivative assets, $0 million and $1 million; Other assets, $339 million and $452 million; and Total assets, $13.0 billion and $13.4 billion, respectively.

[2] Our consolidated liabilities at June 30, 2017, and December 31, 2016, include the following VIE liabilities for which the VIE creditors do not have recourse to Wells Fargo: Derivative liabilities, $28 million and $33 million; Accrued expenses and other liabilities, $96 million and $107 million; Long-term debt, $2.8 billion and $3.7 billion; and Total liabilities, $3.0 billion and $3.8 billion, respectively.