Label	Element	Value
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Registrant Name	dei_EntityRegistrantName	NUVEEN INVESTMENT FUNDS INC
Prospectus Date	rr_ProspectusDate	Feb. 28, 2020
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Risk/Return [Heading]	rr_RiskReturnHeading	Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund
Objective [Heading]	rr_ObjectiveHeading	Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock	The investment objective of the Fund is capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading]	rr_ExpenseHeading	Fees and Expenses of the Fund
Expense Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock	The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “How You Can Buy and Sell Shares” on page 51 of the Fund’s prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-74 of the Fund’s statement of additional information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in the appendix to the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries.” The tables and examples below do not reflect any commissions that shareholders may be required to pay directly to their financial intermediaries when buying or selling Class I shares.
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)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination	July 31, 2021
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 Fund 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 46% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate	rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate	46.00%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block]	rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock	The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts	You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]	rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount	$ 50,000
Expense Example [Heading]	rr_ExpenseExampleHeading	Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]	rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock	The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same and that the fee waivers currently in place are not renewed beyond July 31, 2021. 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	Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in common stocks of mid-capitalization companies. Mid-capitalization companies are defined as companies that have market capitalizations within the market capitalization range of the companies in the Russell Midcap® Index on the last business day of the month in which its most recent reconstitution was completed. Reconstitution of the index currently is completed in June of each year. On June 30, 2019, the range of the index was $617 million to $51.5 billion. In selecting stocks, the Fund’s sub-adviser invests in companies that it believes are undervalued relative to other companies in the same industry or market, exhibit good or improving fundamentals, and exhibit an identifiable catalyst that could close the gap between market value and fair value over the next one to two years. The Fund’s sub-adviser will generally sell a stock if the stock hits its price target, the company’s fundamentals or competitive position significantly deteriorate, or if a better alternative exists in the marketplace. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets, collectively, in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers and in dollar-denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers that are either listed on a U.S. stock exchange or represented by depositary receipts that may or may not be sponsored by a domestic bank. Up to 15% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers. The Fund may utilize options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts (“derivatives”). The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.
Risk [Heading]	rr_RiskHeading	Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block]	rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock	The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. 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 government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund listed below are presented alphabetically to facilitate your ability to find particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds. Each risk summarized below is considered a "principal risk" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears. Active Management Risk—The Fund’s sub-adviser actively manages the Fund’s investments. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses employed by the Fund’s sub-adviser may not produce the desired results. This could cause the Fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives. Concentration Risk—To the extent that the Fund’s portfolio is concentrated in the securities of issuers in a particular market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class, the Fund may be adversely affected by the performance of those securities, may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting that market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Currency Risk—Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. dollar denominated securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio. Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, its investment adviser or sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor or other service provider or a financial intermediary to suffer a data breach, data corruption or lose operational functionality. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund or its service providers may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders. Additionally, a cybersecurity breach could affect the issuers in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments to lose value. Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivative instruments can be used to acquire or to transfer the risk and returns of a security or other asset without buying or selling the security or asset. These instruments may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. An over-the-counter derivative transaction between the Fund and a counterparty that is not cleared through a central counterparty also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments. The payment obligation for a cleared derivative transaction is guaranteed by a central counterparty, which exposes the Fund to the creditworthiness of the central counterparty. Equity Security Risk—Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur because of declines in the equity market as a whole, or because of declines in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market. Mid-Cap Company Risk—Securities of mid-cap companies may be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than those of larger, more established companies or broader market averages in general. Non-U.S./Emerging Markets Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. These additional risks may be heightened for securities of issuers located in, or with significant operations in, emerging market countries as such countries may have a higher degree of economic instability, unsettled securities laws and inconsistent regulatory systems. Value Stock Risk—The intrinsic value of a stock with value characteristics may be difficult to identify and may not be fully recognized by the market for a long time or a stock identified to be undervalued may actually be appropriately priced at a low level.
Risk Lose Money [Text]	rr_RiskLoseMoney	The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]	rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution	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 government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]	rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading	Fund Performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block]	rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock	The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]	rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns	The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares.
Performance Availability Phone [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone	(800) 257-8787
Performance Availability Website Address [Text]	rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress	www.nuveen.com/performance
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]	rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture	The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading]	rr_BarChartHeading	Class A Annual Total Return
Bar Chart Narrative [Text Block]	rr_BarChartNarrativeTextBlock	The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]	rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads	The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]	rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock	During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2019, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 14.21% and -21.15%, respectively, for the quarters ended March 31, 2013 and September 30, 2011.
Performance Table Heading	rr_PerformanceTableHeading	Average Annual Total Returns for the Periods Ended December 31, 2019
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate	rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate	All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred	rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred	After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]	rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown	After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary.
Performance Table Narrative	rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock	The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. 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 IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans. Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers had not been in place, returns would have been reduced.
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	5.75%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	$ 15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.79%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.25%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.27%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.10%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.17%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 687
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	941
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,219
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,009
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	687
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	941
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	1,219
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 2,009
2010	rr_AnnualReturn2010	20.47%	[4]
2011	rr_AnnualReturn2011	(7.42%)	[4]
2012	rr_AnnualReturn2012	9.93%	[4]
2013	rr_AnnualReturn2013	38.68%	[4]
2014	rr_AnnualReturn2014	9.43%	[4]
2015	rr_AnnualReturn2015	(3.55%)	[4]
2016	rr_AnnualReturn2016	15.81%	[4]
2017	rr_AnnualReturn2017	19.16%	[4]
2018	rr_AnnualReturn2018	(12.91%)	[4]
2019	rr_AnnualReturn2019	26.69%	[4]
Highest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel	highest
Highest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate	Mar. 31, 2013
Highest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn	14.21%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label	rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel	lowest
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate	Sep. 30, 2011
Lowest Quarterly Return	rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn	(21.15%)
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	19.41%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.72%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.92%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 22, 1987
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Class C
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	1.00%	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	$ 15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.79%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	1.00%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	2.02%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.10%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.92%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 195
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	620
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	1,075
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	2,337
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	195
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	620
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	1,075
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 2,337
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	25.75%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	7.18%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.74%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Feb. 01, 1999
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Class R3
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	none	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.79%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	0.50%
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.52%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.10%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	1.42%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 145
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	466
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	815
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,800
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	145
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	466
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	815
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,800
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	26.36%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	7.72%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.30%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Sep. 24, 2001
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Class R6
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	none	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.79%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	0.87%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.10%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.77%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 79
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	263
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	468
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,059
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	79
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	263
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	468
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,059
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	27.20%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	4.04%
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Jun. 20, 2018
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Class I
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)	rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice	none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)	rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther	none	[1]
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends	rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther	none
Exchange Fee	rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption	none
Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)	rr_MaximumAccountFee	$ 15	[2]
Management Fees	rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets	0.79%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees	rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets	none
Other Expenses	rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets	0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	rr_ExpensesOverAssets	1.02%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets	(0.10%)	[3]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements	rr_NetExpensesOverAssets	0.92%
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleYear01	$ 94
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear03	310
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear05	549
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleYear10	1,235
1 Year	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01	94
3 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03	310
5 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05	549
10 Years	rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10	$ 1,235
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	27.02%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	8.26%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.84%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Feb. 04, 1994
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | (return after taxes on distributions) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	19.15%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	5.71%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	9.31%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 22, 1987
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares) | Class A
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	11.67%
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	5.11%
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	8.09%
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception
Inception Date	rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate	Dec. 22, 1987
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	27.06%	[5]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	7.62%	[5]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	12.41%	[5]
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | Class R6
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	6.57%	[5]
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Lipper Mid-Cap Value Funds Category Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
1 Year	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01	25.29%	[6]
5 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05	6.08%	[6]
10 Years	rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10	10.72%	[6]
Nuveen Mid Cap Value Fund | Lipper Mid-Cap Value Funds Category Average (reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads) | Class R6
Risk/Return:	rr_RiskReturnAbstract
Since Inception	rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception	3.21%	[6]

[1] The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.

[2] Fee applies to the following types of accounts under $1,000 held directly with the Fund: individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Coverdell Education Savings Accounts and accounts established pursuant to the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) or Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA).

[3] The Fund’s investment adviser has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse expenses through July 31, 2021 so that the total annual operating expenses of the Fund (excluding 12b-1 distribution and/or service fees, interest expenses, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses, fees incurred in acquiring and disposing of portfolio securities and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed 0.92% of the average daily net assets of any class of Fund shares. However, because Class R6 shares are not subject to sub-transfer agent and similar fees, the total annual operating expenses for the Class R6 shares will be less than the expense limitation. This expense limitation may be terminated or modified prior to that date only with the approval of the Board of Directors of the Fund.

[4] The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures.

[5] An index that measures the performance of the mid-cap value segment of the U.S. equity universe. It includes those Russell Midcap® Index companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values.

[6] Represents the average annualized total return for all reporting funds in the Lipper Mid-Cap Value Funds Category.