Securitizations and Variable Interest Entities, Transactions with Consolidated VIEs and Secured Borrowings (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions		Jun. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets	[1]	$ 1,923,388	$ 1,895,883
Liabilities	[2]	(1,723,351)	(1,698,817)
Noncontrolling interests		(995)	(900)
Total secured borrowings [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		350	722
Total secured borrowings [Member] | Municipal tender option bond securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		263	627
Total secured borrowings [Member] | Residential mortgage securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		87	95
Consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		14,211	14,288
Assets		14,010	14,062
Liabilities		(950)	(1,007)
Noncontrolling interests		(41)	(34)
Net assets		13,019	13,021
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial real estate loans [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		4,794	3,957
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		7,742	8,215
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		1,475	1,947
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Investment funds [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		194	155
Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Other securitizations and transactions [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		6	14
Total secured borrowings and consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Total VIE assets		14,561	15,010
Carrying amount [Member] | Total secured borrowings [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		357	617
Liabilities		(350)	(594)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		7	23
Carrying amount [Member] | Total secured borrowings [Member] | Municipal tender option bond securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		270	523
Liabilities		(265)	(501)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		5	22
Carrying amount [Member] | Total secured borrowings [Member] | Residential mortgage securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		87	94
Liabilities		(85)	(93)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		2	1
Carrying amount [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		14,010	14,062
Liabilities		(950)	(1,007)
Noncontrolling interests		(41)	(34)
Net assets		13,019	13,021
Carrying amount [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial real estate loans [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		4,794	3,957
Liabilities		0	0
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		4,794	3,957
Carrying amount [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Commercial and Industrial Loans and Leases [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		7,728	8,204
Liabilities		(490)	(477)
Noncontrolling interests		(13)	(14)
Net assets		7,225	7,713
Carrying amount [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Nonconforming residential mortgage loan securitizations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		1,288	1,732
Liabilities		(452)	(521)
Noncontrolling interests		0	0
Net assets		836	1,211
Carrying amount [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Investment funds [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		194	155
Liabilities		(6)	(5)
Noncontrolling interests		(24)	(15)
Net assets		164	135
Carrying amount [Member] | Consolidated VIEs [Member] | Other securitizations and transactions [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		6	14
Liabilities		(2)	(4)
Noncontrolling interests		(4)	(5)
Net assets		0	5
Carrying amount [Member] | Total secured borrowings and consolidated VIEs [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Assets		14,367	14,679
Liabilities		(1,300)	(1,601)
Noncontrolling interests		(41)	(34)
Net assets		$ 13,026	$ 13,044

[1] (2) Our consolidated assets at June 30, 2019, and December 31, 2018, 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, $11 million and $139 million; Interest-earning deposits with banks, $8 million and $8 million; Debt securities, $60 million and $45 million; Net loans, $13.6 billion and $13.6 billion; Equity securities, $121 million and $85 million; Other assets, $208 million and $221 million; and Total assets, $14.0 billion and $14.1 billion, respectively.

[2] (3) Our consolidated liabilities at June 30, 2019, and December 31, 2018, include the following VIE liabilities for which the VIE creditors do not have recourse to Wells Fargo: Derivative liabilities, $1 million and $0 million; Accrued expenses and other liabilities, $201 million and $191 million; Long-term debt, $748 million and $816 million; and Total liabilities, $950 million and $1.0 billion, respectively.