XML 78 R2.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.1
Label Element Value
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Active International Allocation Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 39% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 39.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Adviser actively selects among developed and emerging countries applying its investment process to determine a country’s future economic growth and equity return potential. The Adviser utilizes a proprietary top-down framework to quantitatively and qualitatively rank countries relative to one another and relative to their own history. The Adviser’s approach combines a top-down country process with sector allocation and bottom-up stock selection. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 40% of its total assets in the securities of issuers located outside of the United States.
The Adviser analyzes the global economic environment and each country’s fundamentals and actively allocate the Fund’s assets among countries and sectors located throughout the world (the investment universe is developed markets, including the United States, and emerging markets, including frontier markets). Investment decisions may be implemented through sector, industry and stock-specific allocations within and across markets that best capture the top-down view. Country and sector weightings are based on relative economic, political and social fundamentals, stock valuations and investor sentiment and are a function of the Adviser’s conviction levels, the size of the economy and liquidity. The investment process considers analysis of sustainability with respect to financial strength, environmental and social factors and governance (also referred to as ESG).
Investments are based on fundamental analysis in an effort to identify those equities that stand to benefit most from the Adviser’s current and prospective macro views and that are likely to experience attractive earnings growth prospects as a result of exposure and gearing to those top-down conditions. Investment decisions are implemented by equity positions in sectors, industries, customized baskets and/or individual stocks. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities, depositary receipts, rights and warrants. The Adviser generally considers selling a portfolio holding when they determine that the position no longer satisfies their investment criteria.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures, options, swaps, contracts for difference (“CFDs”) and other related instruments and techniques. The Fund may
utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities. Derivative instruments used by the Fund will be counted toward the Fund’s exposure in the types of securities listed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to such securities.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
 
Variable Interest Entities. Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures to raise capital from non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries. In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into between a holding company domiciled outside of China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to mimic direct ownership in the operating company, but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the
 
offshore entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or regulations could change or be interpreted differently in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or become worthless because of, among other things, difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience significant losses with no recourse available. From time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations could be significant.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns—Calendar Years
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted)
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
22.22%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-21.66%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.82% [1]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.61% [1]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.28% [1]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.06% [1],[2]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Active International Allocation Blend Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.82% [3]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.61% [3]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.06% [3]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.89% [2],[3]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.25% [4]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 13.25% [4]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.54% [4]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception [4]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.30%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.95% [5]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.05% [5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.90% [5]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 92
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 298
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 521
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,162
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 92
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 298
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 521
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,162
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 17.30%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 21.38%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 (6.37%)
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (1.63%)
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 (0.67%)
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 24.76%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (15.14%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 22.41%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 30.48%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 2.33%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 22.22%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (21.66%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.33%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 11.59%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.47%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.39%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.56% [6]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 11.03% [6]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.97% [6]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.25% [6]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.90%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.30%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.90%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.94%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [7]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.32%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.22% [5]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.22% [5]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 643
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 892
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,160
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,925
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 643
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 892
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,160
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,925
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (3.35%)
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.04%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.54%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.56%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class L  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.36%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.76% [5]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.01% [5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.75% [5]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 178
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 553
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 953
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,072
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 178
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 553
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 953
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,072
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.48%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.67%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.16%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [8]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.71%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.36% [5]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.36% [5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.00% [5]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 303
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 702
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,228
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,383
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 203
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 702
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,228
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,383
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.29%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.39%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.52%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Active International Allocation Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.65%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 10.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 10.73% [5]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 9.88% [5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.85% [5]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 87
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 2,196
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 4,070
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 7,892
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 87
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 2,196
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 4,070
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 7,892
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.39%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 18.03%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The China Equity Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 73% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 73.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, under normal circumstances, by investing at least 80% of the Fund’s net assets in equity securities of companies located in or operating in China (which, for the purposes of the Fund’s investment strategy, includes mainland China and Hong Kong). This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, you would be notified upon 60 days’ notice in writing of any changes.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser actively selects positions in a limited number of equity securities using a fundamental bottom-up stock selection process informed by macro thematic research on China. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser will employ this consistent and targeted approach seeking companies with strong sustainable earnings growth and fundamentals. Investment selection criteria include attractive growth characteristics, reasonable valuations and company managements oriented towards creating strong shareholder value. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser generally considers selling an investment when it determines the company no longer satisfies their investment criteria.
The Fund may invest in China A-shares (shares of publicly traded companies based in mainland China) listed and traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange through the Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect program, as well as China A-shares listed and traded on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange through the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect program (collectively, “Stock Connect”). Stock Connect is a securities trading and clearing program between the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges, the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited, China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited (“CSDCC”) and Hong Kong Securities Clearing Company Limited (“HKSCC”) designed to permit mutual stock market access between mainland China and Hong Kong by allowing investors to trade and settle shares on each market via their local exchanges. Stock Connect may include other exchanges in the future. The Fund may also invest in China A-shares through any other means permitted in the future by applicable law or regulation.
The equity securities of Chinese companies the Fund may invest in also include securities issued by Hong Kong domiciled companies, as well as China H-shares (shares of China-incorporated, Hong Kong-listed companies), Shanghai- and Shenzhen-listed B-shares (shares of China-incorporated companies that are traded in foreign currencies) and China “red chip” shares (shares of companies based in mainland China that are incorporated outside China and listed in Hong Kong). In addition, the Fund may
invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and other types of depositary receipts with respect to companies operating in China. The Fund may also invest in securities of other investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may hold or have exposure to equity securities of companies in any industry or sector.
The investment process integrates information about environmental, social and governance issues (also referred to as ESG) when making investment decisions. The Adviser believes that monitoring ESG helps build a more complete picture of the opportunities and risks facing companies, and seeks to engage directly with company management to gain insights on how each company addresses material ESG issues and how these may affect long-term financial performance. The investment process excludes holdings in tobacco companies.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures, structured investments and other related instruments and techniques. Derivative instruments used by the Fund will be counted toward the Fund’s 80% policy discussed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the securities included within that policy.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
China Risk. Investments in securities of Chinese issuers, including A-shares, involve risks and special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. These risks include, among others, (i) more frequent (and potentially widespread) trading suspensions and government interventions with respect to Chinese issuers, resulting in lack of liquidity and in price volatility, (ii) currency revaluations and other currency exchange rate fluctuations or blockage, (iii) the nature and extent of intervention by the Chinese government in the Chinese securities markets (including both direct and indirect market stabilization efforts, which may affect valuations of Chinese issuers), whether such intervention will continue and the impact of such intervention or its discontinuation, (iv) the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets, (v) the risk that the Chinese government may decide not to continue to support economic reform programs, (vi) limitations on the use of brokers (or action by the Chinese government that discourages brokers from serving international clients), (vii) higher rates of inflation, (viii) greater political, economic and social uncertainty, (ix) market volatility caused by any potential regional or territorial conflicts or natural disasters, (x) the risk of increased trade tariffs, embargoes, sanctions and other trade limitations, (xi) custody risks associated with investing via the Stock Connect program, (xii) both interim and permanent market regulations which may affect the ability of certain stockholders to sell Chinese securities when it would otherwise be advisable and (xiii) foreign ownership limits of any listed Chinese company.
 
The economy of China differs, often unfavorably, from the U.S. economy in such respects as structure, general development, government involvement, wealth distribution, rate of inflation, growth rate, interest rates, allocation of resources and capital reinvestment, among others. The Chinese central government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and local government authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in China. In addition, the Chinese government has from time to time taken actions that influence the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encourage companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induce mergers between companies in certain industries and induce private companies to publicly offer their securities to increase or continue the rate of economic growth, control the rate of inflation or otherwise regulate economic expansion. It may do so in the future as well, potentially having a significant adverse effect on economic conditions in China.
 
The Chinese securities markets are emerging markets characterized by greater price volatility relative to U.S. markets. Liquidity risks may be more pronounced for the A-share market than for Chinese securities markets generally because the A-share market is subject to greater government restrictions and control. The A-share market is volatile with a risk of suspension of trading in a particular security or government intervention. Securities on the A-share market may be suspended from trading without an indication of how long the suspension will last, which may impair the liquidity of such securities. Price fluctuations of A-shares are limited per trading day. In addition, there is less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the United States. Accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards in China are different from U.S. standards and, therefore, disclosure of certain material information may not be made. In addition,
 
less information may be available to the Fund and other investors than would be the case if the Fund’s investments were restricted to securities of U.S. issuers. There is also generally less governmental regulation of the securities industry in China, and less enforcement of regulatory provisions relating thereto, than in the United States. Moreover, it may be more difficult to obtain a judgment in a court outside the United States.
 
The Chinese government strictly regulates the payment of foreign currency denominated obligations and sets monetary policy. In addition, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. Adverse changes to the economic conditions of its primary trading partners, such as the United States, Japan and South Korea, would adversely impact the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. International trade tensions involving China and its trading counterparties may arise from time to time which can result in trade tariffs, embargoes, trade limitations, trade wars and other negative consequences. Such actions and consequences may ultimately result in a significant reduction in international trade, an oversupply of certain manufactured goods, devaluations of existing inventories and potentially the failure of individual companies and/or large segments of China’s export industry with a potentially severe negative impact to the Fund. Moreover, a slowdown in other significant economies of the world, such as the United States, the European Union and certain Asian countries, may adversely affect economic growth in China. An economic downturn in China would adversely impact the Fund’s investments. In addition, certain securities are, or may in the future become restricted, and the Fund may be forced to sell such restricted securities and incur a loss as a result.
 
Emerging markets such as China can experience high rates of inflation, deflation and currency devaluation. The value of the renminbi (“RMB”) may be subject to a high degree of fluctuation due to, among other things, changes in interest rates, the effects of monetary policies issued by China, the United States, foreign governments, central banks or supranational entities, the imposition of currency controls or other national or global political or economic developments.
 
Investments in China and Hong Kong involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction. China has committed by treaty to preserve Hong Kong’s autonomy and its economic, political and social freedoms for 50 years from the July 1, 1997 transfer of sovereignty from Great Britain to China. However, as of July 2020, the Chinese Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress enacted the law of the PRC on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. As of the same month, Hong Kong is no longer afforded preferential economic treatment by the United States under U.S. law, and there is uncertainty as to how the economy of Hong Kong will be affected. If China would exert its authority so as to alter the economic, political or legal structures or the existing social policy of Hong Kong, investor and business confidence in Hong Kong could be negatively affected, which in turn could negatively affect markets and business performance. In addition, the Hong Kong dollar trades within a fixed trading band rate to (or is “pegged” to) the USD. This fixed exchange rate has contributed to the growth and stability of the Hong Kong economy. However, some market participants have questioned the continued viability of the currency peg. It is uncertain what affect any discontinuance of the currency peg and the establishment of an alternative exchange rate system would have on capital markets generally and the Hong Kong economy.
 
Risks of Investing through Stock Connect. The Fund may invest in A-shares listed and traded through Stock Connect, or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time or in the future. Trading through Stock Connect is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect the Fund’s investments and returns. For example, trading through Stock Connect is subject to daily quotas that limit the maximum daily net purchases on any particular day, which may restrict or preclude the Fund’s ability to invest in Stock Connect A-shares. In addition, investments made through Stock Connect are subject to trading, clearance and settlement procedures that are relatively untested in China, which could pose risks to the Fund. Furthermore, securities purchased via Stock Connect will be held via a book entry omnibus account in the name of HKSCC, Hong Kong’s clearing entity, at the CSDCC. The Fund’s ownership interest in Stock Connect securities will not be reflected directly in book entry with CSDCC and will instead only be reflected on the books of its Hong Kong sub-custodian. The Fund may therefore depend on HKSCC’s ability or willingness as record-holder of Stock Connect securities to enforce the Fund’s shareholder rights. Chinese law did not historically recognize the concept of beneficial ownership; while Chinese regulations and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange have issued clarifications and guidance supporting the concept of beneficial ownership via Stock Connect, the interpretation of beneficial ownership in China by regulators and courts may continue to evolve. Moreover, Stock Connect A-shares generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules.
 
A primary feature of Stock Connect is the application of the home market’s laws and rules applicable to investors in A-shares. Therefore, the Fund’s investments in Stock Connect A-shares are generally subject to Chinese securities regulations and listing rules, among other restrictions. For defaults by Hong Kong brokers occurring on or after January 1, 2020, the Hong Kong Investor Compensation Fund will cover losses incurred by investors with a cap at HK$500,000 per investor with respect to securities traded on a stock market operated by the Shanghai Stock Exchange and/or Shenzhen Stock Exchange and in respect of which an order for sale or purchase is permitted to be routed through the northbound link of the Stock Connect. Since the inception of Stock Connect, foreign investors investing in A-shares through Stock Connect have been temporarily exempt from Chinese corporate income tax and value-added tax on the gains on disposal of such A-shares. Dividends are subject to Chinese corporate income tax on a withholding basis at 10% unless reduced under a double tax treaty with China upon application to and
 
obtaining approval from the competent tax authority. Additionally, uncertainties in permanent Chinese tax rules governing taxation of income and gains from investments in Stock Connect A-shares could result in unexpected tax liabilities for the Fund.
 
The Stock Connect program is a relatively new program and may be subject to further interpretation and guidance. There can be no assurance as to the program’s continued existence or whether future developments regarding the program may restrict or adversely affect the Fund’s investments or returns. In addition, the application and interpretation of the laws and regulations of China and Hong Kong, and the rules, policies or guidelines published or applied by relevant regulators and exchanges in respect of the Stock Connect program, are uncertain, and they may have a detrimental effect on the Fund’s investments and returns.
 
H-Shares Risk. H-shares are foreign securities which, in addition to the risks described herein, are subject to the risk that the Hong Kong stock market may behave very differently from the mainland Chinese stock market. There may be little to no correlation between the performance of the Hong Kong stock market and the mainland Chinese stock market.
 
B-Shares Risk. The China B-share market is generally smaller, less liquid and has a smaller issuer base than the China A-share market. The issuers that compose the B-share market include a broad range of companies, including companies with large, medium and small capitalizations. Further, the B-shares market may behave very differently from other portions of the Chinese equity markets, and there may be little to no correlation between the performance of the two.
 
Red Chip Companies Risk. Red Chip shares are traded in Hong Kong dollars on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and may also be traded by foreigners. Because Red Chip companies are substantially controlled by various Chinese governmental authorities, investing in Red Chips involves risks that political changes, social instability, regulatory uncertainty, adverse diplomatic developments, asset expropriation or nationalization, or confiscatory taxation could adversely affect the performance of Red Chip companies. Red Chip companies may be less efficiently run and less profitable than other companies.
 
Variable Interest Entities. Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures to raise capital from non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries. In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into between a holding company domiciled outside of China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to mimic direct ownership in the operating company, but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the offshore entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or regulations could change or be interpreted differently in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or become worthless because of, among other things, difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience significant losses with no recourse available. From time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations could be significant.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the
risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
Investment Company Securities. Subject to the limitations set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Fund may acquire shares in other investment companies, including foreign investment companies and ETFs, which may be managed by the Adviser or its affiliates. The market value of the shares of other investment companies may differ from the NAV of the Fund. The shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their NAV. As a shareholder in an investment company, the Fund would bear its ratable share of that entity’s expenses, including its investment advisory and administration fees. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own advisory and administration fees and other expenses. As a result, the Fund and its shareholders, in effect, will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in other investment companies.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Non-Diversification. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than a diversified portfolio.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus Non-Diversification. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than a diversified portfolio.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one year period and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one year period and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns—Calendar Years
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
19.35%
Low Quarter
09/30/21
-16.47%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or
individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | MSCI China Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (21.72%) [9]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.27% [9],[10]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Lipper China Region Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (10.55%) [11]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.11% [10],[11]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 2.05%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.85% [12]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 1.65% [12]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.20% [12]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 122
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 727
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,357
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 3,057
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 122
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 727
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,357
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 3,057
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 28.80%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 (22.14%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 19.35%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (16.47%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2021
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (22.14%)
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.11%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (22.99%) [13]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.35% [13]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (12.88%)
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.95%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [14]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 3.58%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 4.63% [12]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 3.08% [12]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.55% [12]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 674
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,585
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 2,503
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 4,827
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 674
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 1,585
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 2,503
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 4,827
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (26.56%)
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.15%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [15]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 4.43%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 6.23% [12]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 3.93% [12]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.30% [12]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 333
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,497
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 2,730
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 5,399
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 233
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 1,497
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 2,730
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 5,399
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (23.79%)
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.93%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (China Equity Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 18.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 18.96% [12]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 17.81% [12]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.15% [12]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 117
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 3,525
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 6,047
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 9,847
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 117
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 3,525
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 6,047
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 9,847
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (22.14%)
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.11%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 27% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 27.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Adviser and the Fund’s “Sub-Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company (“MSIM Company”), seek to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing primarily in equity securities of companies located in emerging market countries.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser generally use a fundamental bottom-up stock selection process informed by macro thematic research on overall emerging markets. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser will employ this consistent and targeted approach seeking companies they expect to become leading companies in emerging markets as well as developed country domiciled companies where a large portion of the companies’ growth is taking place in emerging market countries. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser seek to construct a focused portfolio of equity securities designed to take advantage of thematic opportunities in emerging markets by seeking to invest in companies that they believe have the potential to outperform emerging markets generally over the long-term.
The investment process takes into account information about environmental, social and governance issues (also referred to as ESG) when making investment decisions. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser focus on engaging company management around corporate governance practices as well as what the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser deem to be materially important environmental and/or social issues facing a company. The investment process excludes holdings in tobacco companies.
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets will be invested in equity securities of issuers located in emerging market countries. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, you would be notified upon 60 days’ notice in writing of any changes. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser generally consider selling an investment when they determine the company no longer satisfies their investment criteria.
The equity securities in which the Fund may primarily invest include common and preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights, warrants, depositary receipts, limited partnership interests and other specialty securities having equity features. The Fund may hold or have exposure to equity securities of companies of any size, including small and medium capitalization companies, and to companies in any industry or sector.
For purposes of maintaining exposure of at least 80% of the Fund’s assets to equity securities of companies located in emerging market countries, the Fund may also invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and other types of depositary receipts with respect to companies located in emerging market countries.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as options, futures, swaps, contracts for difference (“CFDs”), structured investments and other related instruments and techniques. The Fund may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities. Derivative instruments used by the Fund will be counted toward the Fund’s 80% policy discussed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the securities included within that policy.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
China Risk. Investments in securities of Chinese issuers, including A-shares, involve risks associated with investments in foreign markets as well as special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. For example, the Chinese government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and local government authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in China. In addition, the Chinese government has taken actions that influenced the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encouraged companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induced mergers between companies in certain industries and induced private companies to publicly offer their securities. Investments in China involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction. Additionally, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. Adverse changes to the economic conditions of its primary trading partners, such as the United States, Japan and South Korea, would adversely impact the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. Moreover, a slowdown in other significant economies of the world, such as the United States, the European Union and certain Asian countries, may adversely affect economic growth in China. An economic downturn in China would adversely impact the Fund’s investments. In addition, certain securities are, or may in the future, become restricted, and the Fund may be forced to sell such restricted securities and incur a loss as a result.
 
Risks of Investing through Stock Connect. The Fund may invest in A-shares listed and traded through Stock Connect, or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time or in the future. Trading through Stock Connect is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect the Fund’s investments and returns. Moreover, Stock Connect A-shares generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. The Stock Connect program is a relatively new program and may be subject to further interpretation and guidance. There can be no assurance as to the program’s continued existence or whether future developments regarding the program may restrict or adversely affect the Fund’s investments or returns.
 
Variable Interest Entities. Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures to raise capital from non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries. In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into between a holding company domiciled outside of China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to mimic direct ownership in the operating company, but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the offshore entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or regulations could change or be interpreted differently in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or become worthless because of, among other things, difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience significant losses with no recourse available. From time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations could be significant.
•
Small and Mid Cap Companies. Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap companies may be less liquid and such companies may have more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack the depth of management of larger companies.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Non-Diversification. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse
event affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than a diversified portfolio.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus Non-Diversification. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than a diversified portfolio.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
Pursuant to an agreement and plan of reorganization, between the Company, on behalf of the Fund, and Morgan Stanley Emerging Markets Leaders Fund (Cayman) LP, a private fund managed by the Adviser (the “Private Fund”), at open of business on January 6, 2015, the Fund acquired substantially all of the assets and liabilities of the Private Fund in exchange for shares of the Fund (the “Emerging Markets Leaders Reorganization”). The Private Fund commenced operations on June 30, 2011, and had an investment objective, policies, and strategies that were, in all material respects, the same as those of the Fund, and was managed in a manner that, in all material respects, complied with the investment guidelines and restrictions of the Fund. However, the Private Fund was not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), and therefore was not subject to certain investment limitations, diversification requirements, liquidity requirements, and other restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act and the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), which, if applicable, may have adversely affected its performance.
The Fund adopted the performance history of the Private Fund. As a result, the historical performance information shown below reflects, for the periods prior to the Emerging Markets Leaders Reorganization, the historical performance of the Private Fund. The performance of the Private Fund has been restated to reflect any applicable sales charge but is otherwise not adjusted to reflect differences in expenses between the Private Fund and each class, as applicable.
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns*—Calendar Years
Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block] rr_BarChartFootnotesTextBlock
Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I shares reflects the performance of the limited partnership interests of the Private Fund for periods prior to the Emerging Markets Leaders Reorganization.
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to foreign tax credits and/or an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
32.55%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-19.69%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to foreign tax credits and/or an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (2.54%) [16]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.87% [16]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.49% [16]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.11% [16],[17]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.56%) [18]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.52% [18]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.20% [18]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.83% [17],[18]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.33%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.23% [19]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [19]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.20% [19]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 122
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 387
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 673
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,486
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 122
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 387
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 673
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,486
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 18.89%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 4.89%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 (1.80%)
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (7.27%)
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 3.08%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 26.01%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (14.12%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 26.63%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 59.36%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 1.84%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 32.55%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (19.69%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.84% [20]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 17.33% [20]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.04% [20]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.46% [20]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.81% [20],[21]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.87% [20],[21]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.80% [20],[21]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.24% [20],[21]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.09% [20]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 14.01% [20]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.27% [20]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.92% [20]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [22]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.37%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.52% [19]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [19]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.52% [19]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 672
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 980
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,310
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,242
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 672
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 980
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,310
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,242
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (3.79%) [20]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.64% [20]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.16% [20]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.64% [20]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [23]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.39%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.29% [19]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [19]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.29% [19]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 332
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 715
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,225
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,432
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 232
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 715
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,225
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,432
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.25%)
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.02%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 10.23%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Leaders Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.90%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.26%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.16% [19]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.06% [19]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.10% [19]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 112
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 363
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 632
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,403
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 112
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 363
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 632
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,403
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.94% [20]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 17.41% [20]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 10.08% [20]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.50% [20]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Emerging Markets Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in growth-oriented equity securities of issuers in emerging market countries.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus
entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 39% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 39.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Adviser and the Fund’s “Sub-Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Company (“MSIM Company”), seek to maximize returns by investing primarily in growth-oriented equity securities in emerging markets.
The Adviser’s and/or Sub-Adviser’s investment approach combines top-down country allocation with bottom-up stock selection. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser allocate the Fund’s assets among emerging markets based on relative economic, political and social fundamentals, stock valuations and investor sentiment. To manage risk, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser emphasize macroeconomic and fundamental research.
The investment process integrates information about environmental, social and governance issues (also referred to as ESG) when making investment decisions. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believe that monitoring ESG helps build a more complete picture of the opportunities and risks facing companies, and seeks to engage directly with company management to gain insights on how each company addresses material ESG issues and how these may affect long-term financial performance.
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets will be invested in equity securities of issuers located in emerging market countries. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, you would be notified upon 60 days’ notice in writing of any changes. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser generally consider selling an investment when they determine the company no longer satisfies their investment criteria.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures and other related instruments and techniques. The Fund may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities. Derivative instruments used by the Fund will be
counted toward the Fund’s 80% policy discussed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the securities included within that policy.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
China Risk. Investments in securities of Chinese issuers, including A-shares, involve risks associated with investments in foreign markets as well as special considerations not typically associated with investments in the U.S. securities markets. For example, the Chinese government has historically exercised substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy through administrative regulation and/or state ownership and actions of the Chinese central and local government authorities continue to have a substantial effect on economic conditions in China. In addition, the Chinese government has taken actions that influenced the prices at which certain goods may be sold, encouraged companies to invest or concentrate in particular industries, induced mergers between companies in certain industries and induced private companies to publicly offer their securities. Investments in China involve risk of a total loss due to government action or inaction. Additionally, the Chinese economy is export-driven and highly reliant on trade. Adverse changes to the economic conditions of its primary trading partners, such as the United States, Japan and South Korea, would adversely impact the Chinese economy and the Fund’s investments. Moreover, a slowdown in other significant economies of the world, such as the United States, the European Union and certain Asian countries, may adversely affect economic growth in China. An economic downturn in China would adversely impact the Fund’s investments. In
addition, certain securities are, or may in the future, become restricted, and the Fund may be forced to sell such restricted securities and incur a loss as a result.
 
Risks of Investing through Stock Connect. The Fund may invest in A-shares listed and traded through Stock Connect, or on such other stock exchanges in China which participate in Stock Connect from time to time or in the future. Trading through Stock Connect is subject to a number of restrictions that may affect the Fund’s investments and returns. Moreover, Stock Connect A-shares generally may not be sold, purchased or otherwise transferred other than through Stock Connect in accordance with applicable rules. The Stock Connect program is a relatively new program and may be subject to further interpretation and guidance. There can be no assurance as to the program’s continued existence or whether future developments regarding the program may restrict or adversely affect the Fund’s investments or returns.
 
Variable Interest Entities. Chinese operating companies sometimes rely on variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures to raise capital from non-Chinese investors because of Chinese government limitations or prohibitions on direct foreign ownership in certain industries. In a VIE structure, a series of contractual arrangements are entered into between a holding company domiciled outside of China and a Chinese operating company or companies, which are intended to mimic direct ownership in the operating company, but in many cases these arrangements have not been tested in court and it is not clear that the contracts are enforceable or that the structures will otherwise work as intended. The offshore holding company, which is not a Chinese operating company, then issues exchange-traded shares that are sold to the public, including non-Chinese investors (such as the Fund). Shares of the offshore entity purchased by the Fund would not be equity ownership interests in the Chinese operating company and the Fund’s interest would be subject to legal, operational and other risks associated with the company’s use of the VIE structure. For example, at any time the Chinese government could determine that the contractual arrangements constituting part of the VIE structure are unenforceable or do not comply with applicable law or regulations, these laws or regulations could change or be interpreted differently in the future, and the Chinese government may with no advance notice otherwise intervene in or exert influence over VIE structures or the related Chinese operating companies. If any of these or similar risks or developments materialize, the Fund’s investment in the offshore entity may suddenly and significantly decline in value or become worthless because of, among other things, difficulty enforcing (or the inability to enforce) the contractual arrangements or materially adverse effects on the Chinse operating company’s performance. In these circumstances, the Fund could experience significant losses with no recourse available. From time to time, the Fund’s investments in U.S.-listed shell companies relying on VIE structures to consolidate China-based operations could be significant.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns—Calendar Years
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
19.82%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-26.72%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | MSCI Emerging Markets Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (2.54%) [24]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.87% [24]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.49% [24]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.43% [24],[25]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)_2  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.56%) [26]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.52% [26]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.20% [26]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception [26]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.81%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.28%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.09% [27]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.04% [27]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.05% [27]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 107
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 343
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 597
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,325
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 107
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 343
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 597
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,325
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 20.19%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 (0.80%)
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 (4.47%)
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (10.33%)
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 6.73%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 34.97%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (17.32%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 19.44%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 14.58%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 3.55%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 19.82%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (26.72%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.55%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.60%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.60%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.63%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.60% [28]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.48% [28]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.86% [28]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.78% [28]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.67%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.65%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.54%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.55%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [29]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.81%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.33%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.39% [27]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [27]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.39% [27]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 659
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 942
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,246
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,106
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 659
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 942
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,246
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,106
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (2.20%)
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.08%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.71%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.41%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class L  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.81%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.69% [27]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.79% [27]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.90% [27]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 193
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 761
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,355
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,964
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 193
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 761
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,355
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,964
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.64%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.65%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.62%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [30]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.81%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.61%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.42% [27]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.27% [27]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.15% [27]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 318
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 729
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,266
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,480
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 218
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 729
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,266
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,480
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.48%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.39%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.95%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.81%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.98% [27]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.03% [27]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.95% [27]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 97
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 309
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 539
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,199
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 97
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 309
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 539
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,199
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.63%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.71%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.87%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Global Franchise Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 17% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 17.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., and the Fund’s “Sub-Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited (“MSIM Limited”), seek long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities of issuers located throughout the world that they believe have, among other things, sustainable competitive advantages, capable management and financial strength. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests in securities of issuers from at least three different countries, which may include the United States.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser seek to invest in high quality companies they believe have strong business franchises, strong cash flows, modest capital requirements, balance sheet strength, capable management, and that typically return cash to shareholders. The franchise focus of the Fund is based on the Adviser’s and/or Sub-Adviser’s belief that the company’s intangible assets underpinning a strong business franchise (such as brands and networks) are difficult to create or to replicate and that carefully selected franchise companies can yield above-average potential for long-term capital appreciation.
As an essential and integrated part of the investment process, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser assesses relevant factors material to long-term sustainably high returns on operating capital including environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors and seeks to engage with company management teams as part of this. Subject to the Fund’s investment objective the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser retains discretion over which investments are selected. In exercising this discretion, ESG factors are not the sole determinant of whether an investment can be made or a holding can remain in the Fund’s portfolio, but instead the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser considers material risks or opportunities in any of the ESG areas which could threaten or enhance high returns on operating capital of a company.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser rely on their research capabilities, analytical resources and judgment to identify and monitor franchise businesses meeting their investment criteria. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believe that the number of issuers with strong business franchises meeting their criteria may be limited, and accordingly, the Fund may concentrate its holdings in a relatively small number of companies and may invest up to 25% of its total assets in a single issuer. The Fund’s equity investments may include convertible securities.
The Fund typically invests in issuers of equity securities with a market capitalization greater than $2 billion. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser generally consider selling a portfolio holding when they determine that the holding no longer satisfies their investment criteria or that replacing the holding with another investment should improve the Fund’s valuation and/or quality.
The Fund may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Small and Mid Cap Companies. Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap companies may be less liquid and such companies may have more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack the depth of management of larger companies.
•
Global Franchise Companies. Changes in the worldwide economy, consumer spending, competition, demographics and consumer preferences, government regulation and economic conditions may adversely affect global franchise companies and may negatively impact the Fund to a greater extent than if the Fund’s assets were invested in a wider variety of companies.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
•
ESG Investment Risk. The Fund’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses when selecting investments may impact the Fund’s performance, including relative to similar funds that do not adhere to such criteria or apply such analyses. Additionally, the Fund’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses in connection with identifying and selecting investments may require subjective analysis and may be difficult if data about a particular company is limited. A company’s ESG practices or the Adviser’s assessment of such may change over time.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns—Calendar Years
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
15.77%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-13.07%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | MSCI World Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.82% [31]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.03% [31]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 12.70% [31]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.12% [31],[32]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Lipper Global Large-Cap Core Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.13% [33]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 14.46% [33]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 12.22% [33]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 7.74% [32],[33]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.72%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.19%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.91%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 93
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 290
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 504
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,120
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 93
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 290
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 504
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,120
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 15.38%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 19.71%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 4.82%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 6.50%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 5.64%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 25.85%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (1.50%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 29.60%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 13.22%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 21.92%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 15.77%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (13.07%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.92%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 17.27%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 13.70%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.26%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.11% [34]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.13% [34]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 12.55% [34]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.25% [34]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.51%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 13.73%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 11.14%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 10.44%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [35]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.72%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.19%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.16%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 637
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 874
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,130
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,860
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 637
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 874
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,130
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,860
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.22%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.71%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 12.80%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.67%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class L  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.72%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.19%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.66%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 169
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 523
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 902
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,965
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 169
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 523
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 902
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,965
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.02%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.39%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.88%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [36]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.72%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.90%
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 293
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 597
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,026
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,029
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 193
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 597
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,026
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,029
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 19.74%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.10%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 14.40%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Franchise Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.72%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.10%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.82%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 84
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 262
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 455
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,014
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 84
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 262
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 455
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,014
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 22.05%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 17.37%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.95%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Global Sustain Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 11% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 11.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Adviser and/or the Fund’s “Sub-Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited (“MSIM Limited”), seek to identify securities of issuers located throughout the world that they believe are of high quality that can generate sustainable and high returns on operating capital with dominant franchises due to powerful hard-to-replicate-intangible assets - notably brands, networks, licenses and patents - and pricing power, resulting in high gross margins. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser also seek to identify capable management teams able to allocate capital effectively to grow the franchise, maintain the intangible assets and sustain and/or improve returns on operating capital.
As an essential and integrated part of the investment process, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser assesses relevant factors material to long-term sustainably high returns including ESG factors and seeks to engage with company management teams as part of this. Subject to the Fund’s investment objective and the investment restrictions outlined below, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser retains discretion over which investments are selected. In exercising this discretion, ESG factors are not the sole determinant of whether an investment can be made or a holding can remain in the Fund’s portfolio, but instead the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser considers material risks or opportunities in any of the ESG areas which could threaten or enhance the current high returns on operating capital of a company.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser will also apply ESG criteria that seek to achieve a greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emissions intensity for the Fund that is significantly lower than that of the reference universe (which is defined, only for the purposes of comparing GHG emissions intensity, as companies within the MSCI All Country World Index that have a market capitalization greater than $5 billion). For the purpose of this Fund, the term GHG shall be as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) and includes carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) in metric tons and in tons of CO2 equivalent. The GHG Protocol establishes comprehensive global
standardized frameworks to measure and manage greenhouse gas emissions from private and public sector operations, value chains and mitigation actions.
In order to meet the low GHG emissions intensity criteria above:
•
the Fund will firstly exclude investments in any company that the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser determines:
○
has any tie to fossil fuels (such as oil, gas and coal),
○
whose core business activity involves energy, construction materials, gas and electric utilities (excluding renewable energy and water utilities), or metals and mining, or
○
for which GHG emissions intensity estimates are not available and/or cannot be estimated (in the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser’s discretion); and
•
the remaining issuers will then be ranked according to their GHG emissions intensity estimates, and those with the highest GHG emissions intensity, as determined by the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser, will be excluded from the reference universe.
Investments shall not include any company whose core business activity, according to the Adviser’s and/or Sub-Adviser’s methodology, involve the following:
a) Tobacco;
b) Alcohol;
c) Adult Entertainment;
d) Gambling;
e) Civilian firearms; or
f) Weapons.
For the purposes of all of the investment restrictions outlined above, a core business activity is 1) one that accounts for more than 10% of the relevant company’s revenue as classified by the MSCI ESG Business Involvement Screening Research (“MSCI ESG BISR”) database, or 2) a company that has been assigned the applicable sector or industry under the MSCI Global Industry Classification Standards (“MSCI GICS”).
The Fund will not invest in any company that has been excluded from the MSCI World ex Controversial Weapons Index due to its involvement with controversial weapons, as defined by that index, though it is not constrained by this index and may invest in companies otherwise not in the index.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser may, in its discretion, elect to apply additional ESG-related investment restrictions, including companies that do not meet the exclusionary criteria set forth above, over time that it believes are consistent with its investment objective.
The Fund will not invest in a company with a market capitalization below $5 billion.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believe that the number of issuers with high-quality businesses meeting their criteria may be limited, and accordingly, the Fund may concentrate its holdings in a relatively small number of companies. The Fund’s equity investments, including depositary receipts, may include convertible securities.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures, options, swaps, contracts for difference (“CFDs”) and other related instruments and techniques. The Fund may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
Small and Mid Cap Companies. Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap companies may be less liquid and such companies may have more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack the depth of management of larger companies.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Non-Diversification. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than a diversified portfolio.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions,
countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
•
ESG Investment Risk. The Fund’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses when selecting investments may impact the Fund’s performance, including relative to similar funds that do not adhere to such criteria or apply such analyses. For example, the Fund, based on the Adviser’s and/or Sub-Adviser’s assessment process, will not invest in companies in industries including tobacco, alcohol, adult entertainment, gambling, civilian firearms and weapons. The exclusionary criteria related to the Fund’s ESG criteria may result in the Fund buying certain securities or forgoing opportunities to buy certain securities. There are significant differences in interpretations of what it means for a company to have positive or negative ESG factors. While the Adviser and/or the Sub-Adviser believes its definitions are reasonable, the portfolio decisions it makes may differ with other investors’ or investment managers’ views. Additionally, the Fund’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses in connection with identifying and selecting investments may require subjective analysis and may be difficult if data about a particular company is limited. A company’s ESG practices or the Adviser’s assessment of such may change over time.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Nondiversified Status [Text] rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus Non-Diversification. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it may be more susceptible to an adverse event affecting a single issuer or portfolio investment than a diversified portfolio and a decline in the value of that issuer’s securities or that portfolio investment may cause the Fund’s overall value to decline to a greater degree than a diversified portfolio.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one and five year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one and five year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns—Calendar Years
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
17.74%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-13.85%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | MSCI World Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.82% [37]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.03% [37]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.91% [37],[38]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Lipper Global Large-Cap Core Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 21.13% [39]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 14.46% [39]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 11.10% [38],[39]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.06% [40]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 18.08% [40]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.26% [38],[40]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.47%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.17% [41]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.27% [41]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.90% [41]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 92
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 345
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 618
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,396
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 92
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 345
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 618
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,396
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 2.66%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 5.27%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 4.20%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 22.86%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 0.60%
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 30.03%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 15.96%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 18.62%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 17.74%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (13.85%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.62%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 17.19%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.18%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.11% [42]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.03% [42]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.01% [42]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 11.37%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 13.62%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 10.51%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [43]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.51%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.46% [41]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.21% [41]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.25% [41]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 646
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 943
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,262
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,163
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 646
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 943
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,262
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,163
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.03%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.52%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.07%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class L  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.63%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.08% [41]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.33% [41]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.75% [41]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 178
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 620
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,088
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,384
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 178
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 620
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,088
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,384
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 17.58%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 16.18%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.22%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [44]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.52%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.22% [41]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.22% [41]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.00% [41]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 303
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 673
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,170
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,345
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 203
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 673
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,170
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,345
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 16.33%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 15.90%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.18%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Global Sustain Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.70%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.42%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.12% [41]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.27% [41]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.85% [41]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 87
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 329
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 591
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,339
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 87
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 329
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 591
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,339
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.60%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 17.23%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 12.91%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The International Equity Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation by investing primarily in equity securities of non-U.S. issuers.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for only the first year). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 20% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 20.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Adviser and the Fund’s “Sub-Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Limited (“MSIM Limited”), seek long-term capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of equity securities of non-U.S. issuers based on fundamental analysis and individual stock selection.
Utilizing a bottom-up approach to investing, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser look to invest in two types of stocks: reasonably priced high quality compounders, companies characterized by their ability to generate sustainably high returns on capital, and value opportunities, which are typically more cyclical companies with reasonable or improving fundamentals trading at a sufficient discount to intrinsic value to compensate for their greater levels of risk.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser conduct in-depth fundamental research on a stock by stock basis to determine if it represents a high quality compounder or value opportunity, assessing a company’s franchise, management and financial strength, and emphasize cash flow-based-metrics rather than accounting numbers to determine intrinsic value. The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser also seek capable company management teams that have a history of disciplined capital allocation.
The Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser believe that a portfolio consisting of both types of stocks, with the flexibility to adjust the mix between the two dependent on company valuation and prospects, has the potential to generate attractive long-term returns for investors.
As an essential and integrated part of the investment process, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser assesses relevant factors material to long-term returns on operating capital including environmental, social, and governance (“ESG”) factors and seeks to engage with company management teams as part of this. Subject to the Fund’s investment objective, the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser retains discretion over which investments are selected. In exercising this discretion, ESG factors are not the sole determinant of whether an investment can be made or a holding can remain in the Fund’s portfolio, but instead the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser considers material risks or opportunities in any of the ESG areas which could threaten or enhance the long-term sustainability or direction of a company’s returns.
The Fund typically invests in issuers of equity securities with a market capitalization of greater than $2 billion. Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets will be invested in equity securities. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, you would be notified upon 60 days’ notice in writing of any changes. The Fund’s equity investments may include convertible securities.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures, options, swaps, contracts for difference (“CFDs”) and other related instruments and techniques. The Fund may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities. Derivative instruments used by the Fund will be counted toward the Fund’s 80% policy discussed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the securities included within that policy.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
Small and Mid Cap Companies. Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap companies may be less liquid and such companies may have more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack the depth of management of larger companies.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to
purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
•
ESG Investment Risk. The Fund’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses when selecting investments may impact the Fund’s performance, including relative to similar funds that do not adhere to such criteria or apply such analyses. Additionally, the Fund’s adherence to its ESG criteria and application of related analyses in connection with identifying and selecting investments may require subjective analysis and may be difficult if data about a particular company is limited. A company’s ESG practices or the Adviser’s assessment of such may change over time.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’ performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns—Calendar Years
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
18.33%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-20.42%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | MSCI EAFE Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 11.26% [45]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.55% [45]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 8.03% [45]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.97% [45],[46]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Lipper International Large-Cap Core Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 12.16% [47]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.55% [47]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.41% [47]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.27% [46],[47]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)_3  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 10.25% [48]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 13.25% [48]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 9.54% [48]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 13.26% [48]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.21%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.01% [49]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.06% [49]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.95% [49]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 97
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 316
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 552
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,231
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 97
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 316
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 552
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,231
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 19.60%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 20.39%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 (6.08%)
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 0.36%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 (2.00%)
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 25.17%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (13.80%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 20.37%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 11.42%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 4.19%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 18.33%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (20.42%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.19%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.56%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.21%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 8.12%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.89% [50]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.88% [50]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.15% [50]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.70% [50]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.26%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.67%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 5.78%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.68%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [51]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.02%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.07% [49]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [49]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.07% [49]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 628
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 847
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,084
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,762
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 628
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 847
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,084
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,762
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.36%)
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.09%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.31%
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.94%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class L  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.24%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.79% [49]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [49]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.79% [49]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 182
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 563
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 970
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,105
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 182
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 563
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 970
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,105
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.34%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.65%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 6.43%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [52]
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.53%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.33% [49]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.28% [49]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.05% [49]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 308
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 701
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,220
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,328
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 208
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 701
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,220
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,328
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.08%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.36%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.44%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (International Equity Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.91% [49]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets none [49]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.91% [49]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 93
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 290
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 504
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,120
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 93
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 290
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 504
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,120
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.24%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 8.59%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.00%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
The Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio (the “Fund”) seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and Expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay fees other than the fees and expenses of the Fund, such as brokerage commissions and other fees charged by financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.
For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more. More information about this combined purchase discount and other discounts is available from your authorized financial intermediary, on page 82 of the Prospectus in the section entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares” and in Appendix A attached to the Prospectus.
Class I shares may be available on brokerage platforms of firms that have agreements with the Fund’s principal underwriter permitting such firms to (i) offer Class I shares solely when acting as an agent for the investor and (ii) impose on an investor transacting in Class I shares through such platforms a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the broker. Shares of the Fund are available in other share classes that have different fees and expenses.
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts For purchases of Class A shares, you may qualify for a sales charge discount if the cumulative net asset value per share (“NAV”) of Class A shares of the Fund being purchased in a single transaction, together with the NAV of any Class A, Class L and Class C shares of the Fund already held in Related Accounts (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Sales Charges Applicable to Purchases of Class A Shares”) as of the date of the transaction as well as Class A, Class L and Class C shares of any other Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) and including shares of Morgan Stanley Money Market Funds (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Exchange Privilege”) that you acquired in an exchange of Class A, Class L or Class C shares of the Fund or Class A, Class L or Class C shares of another Morgan Stanley Multi-Class Fund excluding Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund Trust Short Duration Income, Ultra-Short Income and Ultra-Short Municipal Income Portfolios already held in Related Accounts as of the date of the transaction, amounts to $50,000 or more.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 50,000
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)
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
The example below 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, your investment has a 5% return each year and the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (except that the example incorporates the fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement arrangement for the two year period from the date of the Next Gen Emerging Markets Reorganization (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Fund Management - Advisory Fees”)). After eight years, Class C shares of the Fund generally will convert automatically to Class A shares of the Fund. The example for Class C shares reflects the conversion to Class A shares after eight years. Please refer to the
section of the Prospectus entitled “Shareholder Information—Conversion Features” for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example by, Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleByYearCaption If You SOLD Your Shares
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption If You HELD Your Shares
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 Total 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 56% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 56.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal Investment Strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
The Fund’s Adviser seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing primarily in growth-oriented equity securities in emerging markets, which include frontier emerging markets.
The Adviser’s investment approach combines top-down macro and thematic allocation with bottom-up stock selection. The Adviser allocates the Fund’s assets among emerging markets, including frontier emerging markets, based on relative economic, political and social fundamentals, market valuations and investor sentiment. To manage risk, the Adviser emphasizes macroeconomic and fundamental research.
The investment process integrates information about environmental, social and governance issues (also referred to as ESG) when making investment decisions. The Adviser believes that monitoring ESG helps build a more complete picture of the opportunities and risks facing companies, and seeks to engage directly with company management to gain insights on how each company addresses material ESG issues and how these may affect long-term financial performance. The investment process excludes holdings in tobacco companies.
Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets will be invested in equity securities of companies operating in emerging market countries, which include frontier emerging market countries. This policy may be changed without shareholder approval; however, you would be notified upon 60 days’ notice in writing of any changes. Emerging market or developing countries are countries that major international financial institutions or the MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index generally consider to be less economically mature than developed nations, such as the United States or most nations in Western Europe. Emerging market or
developing countries can include every nation in the world except the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and most countries located in Western Europe.
The equity securities in which the Fund may primarily invest include common and preferred stocks, convertible securities, rights, warrants, depositary receipts, limited partnership interests and other specialty securities having equity features. The Fund may hold or have exposure to equity securities of companies of any size, including small and medium capitalization companies, and to companies in any industry or sector. The Adviser generally considers selling a portfolio holding when it determines that the holding no longer satisfies its investment criteria.
The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of companies operating in frontier emerging market countries. The term “frontier emerging markets” refers to those emerging market countries outside the “mainstream” emerging markets, whose capital markets have traditionally been difficult for foreign investors to enter or are in early stages of capital market and/or economic development. Frontier emerging market countries include, among others, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Philippines, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Senegal, Slovenia, Slovakia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Trinidad & Tobago, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Zambia. The countries within the “frontier emerging markets” universe, as well as the countries in which the Fund invests, may change from time to time.
For purposes of maintaining exposure of at least 80% of the Fund’s assets to equity securities of companies operating in emerging market countries, which include frontier emerging market countries, the Fund may also invest in American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”) and other types of depositary receipts with respect to companies operating in emerging market countries, securities of other open- and closed-end investment companies, including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and derivative instruments as described herein.
The Fund may, but it is not required to, use derivative instruments for a variety of purposes, including hedging, risk management, portfolio management or to earn income. The Fund’s use of derivatives may involve the purchase and sale of derivative instruments such as futures, swaps, contracts for difference (“CFDs”), structured investments and other related instruments and techniques. The Fund may utilize foreign currency forward exchange contracts, which are also derivatives, in connection with its investments in foreign securities. Derivative instruments used by the Fund will be counted toward the Fund’s 80% policy discussed above to the extent they have economic characteristics similar to the securities included within that policy.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal Risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include:
•
Equity Securities. In general, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed-income securities. The prices of equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to activities specific to the issuer of the security as well as factors unrelated to the fundamental condition of the issuer, including general market, economic and political conditions. To the extent that the Fund invests in convertible securities, and the convertible security’s investment value is greater than its conversion value, its price will be likely to increase when interest rates fall and decrease when interest rates rise. If the conversion value exceeds the investment value, the price of the convertible security will tend to fluctuate directly with the price of the underlying security.
•
Foreign and Emerging Market Securities. Investments in foreign markets entail special risks such as currency, political, economic and market risks. There also may be greater market volatility, less reliable financial information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, higher transaction and custody costs, decreased market liquidity and less government and exchange regulation associated with investments in foreign markets. In addition, investments in certain foreign markets that have historically been considered stable may become more volatile and subject to increased risk due to ongoing developments and changing conditions in such markets. Moreover, the growing interconnectivity of global economies and financial markets has increased the probability that adverse developments and conditions in one country or region will affect the stability of economies and financial markets in other countries or regions. Certain foreign markets may rely heavily on particular industries or foreign capital and are more vulnerable to diplomatic developments, the imposition of economic sanctions against a particular country or countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals, changes in international trading patterns, trade barriers and other protectionist or retaliatory measures. Investments in foreign markets may also be adversely affected by governmental actions such as the imposition of capital controls, nationalization of companies or industries, expropriation of assets or the imposition of punitive taxes. The governments of certain countries may prohibit or impose substantial restrictions on foreign investing in their capital markets or in certain sectors or industries. In addition, a foreign government may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency which would adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor
perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. The risks of investing in emerging market countries are greater than the risks associated with investments in foreign developed countries. Certain emerging market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in emerging markets countries. In addition, the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions may reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency should move in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions or other similar measures may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar measures could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities, negatively impact the value or liquidity of the Fund’s investments, significantly delay or prevent the settlement of the Fund’s securities transactions, force the Fund to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices, or impair the Fund’s ability to meet its investment objective or invest in accordance with its investment strategies.
•
Small and Mid Cap Companies. Investments in small and mid cap companies may involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established companies. The securities issued by small and mid cap companies may be less liquid and such companies may have more limited markets, financial resources and product lines, and may lack the depth of management of larger companies.
•
Frontier Emerging Market Securities. Investing in the securities of issuers operating in frontier emerging markets involves a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the securities of other foreign or U.S. issuers. In addition, the risks associated with investing in the securities of issuers operating in emerging market countries are magnified when investing in frontier emerging market countries. These types of investments could be affected by factors not usually associated with investments in U.S. issuers, including risks associated with expropriation and/or nationalization, political or social instability, pervasiveness of corruption and crime, armed conflict, the impact on the economy of civil war, religious or ethnic unrest and the withdrawal or non-renewal of any license enabling the Fund to trade in securities of a particular country, confiscatory taxation, restrictions on transfers of assets, lack of uniform accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, less publicly available financial and other information, less stringent investor protections and disclosure standards, diplomatic development which could affect U.S. investments in those countries and potential difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations. These risks and special considerations make investments in companies operating in frontier emerging market countries highly speculative in nature and, accordingly, an investment in the Fund must be viewed as highly speculative in nature and may not be suitable for an investor who is not able to afford the loss of his or her entire investment. To the extent that the Fund invests a significant percentage of its assets in a single frontier emerging market country, the Fund will be subject to heightened risk associated with investing in frontier emerging market countries and additional risks associated with that particular country. A government of a frontier emerging market country may limit or cause delay in the convertibility or repatriation of its currency and therefore could adversely affect the U.S. dollar value and/or liquidity of investments denominated in that currency. Certain foreign investments may become less liquid in response to market developments or adverse investor perceptions, or become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Fund holds illiquid investments, its portfolio may be harder to value. From time to time, certain of the companies in which the Fund expects to invest may operate in, or have dealings with, countries subject to sanctions or embargoes imposed by the U.S. Government and the United Nations and/or countries identified by the U.S. Government as state sponsors of terrorism. A company may suffer damage to its reputation if it is identified as such a company and, as an investor in such companies, the Fund will be indirectly subject to those risks. Certain frontier market countries may be subject to less stringent requirements regarding accounting, auditing, financial reporting and record keeping and therefore, material information related to an investment may not be available or reliable. In addition, the Fund is limited in its ability to exercise its legal rights or enforce a counterparty’s legal obligations in certain jurisdictions outside of the United States, in particular, in frontier markets countries. In addition, a substantial portion of the Fund’s investments in foreign issuers may be denominated in foreign currencies and therefore, to the extent unhedged, the value of those investments will fluctuate with U.S. dollar exchange rates. To the extent hedged by the use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts, the precise matching of the foreign currency forward exchange contract amounts and the value of the securities involved will not generally be possible because the future value of such securities in foreign currencies will change as a consequence of market movements in the value of those securities between the date on which the contract is entered into and the date it matures. There is additional risk that such transactions could reduce or preclude the opportunity for gain if the value of the currency moves in the direction opposite to the position taken and that foreign currency forward exchange contracts create exposure to currencies in which the Fund’s securities are not denominated. The use of foreign currency forward exchange contracts involves the risk of loss from the insolvency or
bankruptcy of the counterparty to the contract or the failure of the counterparty to make payments or otherwise comply with the terms of the contract. Economic sanctions may be, and have been, imposed against certain countries, organizations, companies, entities and/or individuals. Economic sanctions and other similar governmental actions could, among other things, effectively restrict or eliminate the Fund’s ability to purchase or sell securities or groups of securities, and thus may make the Fund’s investments in such securities less liquid or more difficult to value. In addition, as a result of economic sanctions, the Fund may be forced to sell or otherwise dispose of investments at inopportune times or prices.
•
Banking Industry. The banking industry can be affected by global and local economic conditions, such as the levels and liquidity of the global and local financial and asset markets, the absolute and relative level and volatility of interest rates and equity prices, investor sentiment, inflation, and the availability and cost of credit. Adverse developments in these conditions can have a greater adverse effect on the banking industry of a frontier emerging market economy than on other industries of its economy. The enactment of new legislation or regulations, as well as changes in interpretation and enforcement of current laws, may affect the manner of operations and profitability of the banking industry. To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in the banking industry, factors that have an adverse impact on this industry may have a disproportionate impact on the Fund’s performance.
•
Investment Company Securities. Subject to the limitations set forth in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), or as otherwise permitted by the SEC, the Fund may acquire shares in other investment companies, including foreign investment companies and (“ETFs”), which may be managed by the Adviser or its affiliates. The market value of the shares of other investment companies may differ from the NAV of the Fund. The shares of closed-end investment companies frequently trade at a discount to their NAV. As a shareholder in an investment company, the Fund would bear its ratable share of that entity’s expenses, including its investment advisory and administration fees. At the same time, the Fund would continue to pay its own advisory and administration fees and other expenses. As a result, the Fund and its shareholders, in effect, will be absorbing duplicate levels of fees with respect to investments in other investment companies.
•
Liquidity. The Fund may make investments that are illiquid or restricted or that may become less liquid in response to overall economic conditions or adverse investor perceptions, and which may entail greater risk than investments in other types of securities. These investments may be more difficult to value or sell, particularly in times of market turmoil, and there may be little trading in the secondary market available for particular securities. If the Fund is forced to sell an illiquid or restricted security to fund redemptions or for other cash needs, it may be forced to sell the security at a loss or for less than its fair value.
•
Derivatives. A derivative instrument often has risks similar to its underlying asset and may have additional risks, including imperfect correlation between the value of the derivative and the underlying asset, risks of default by the counterparty to certain transactions, magnification of losses incurred due to changes in the market value of the securities, instruments, indices or interest rates to which the derivative instrument relates, risks that the transactions may not be liquid, risks arising from margin requirements and risks arising from mispricing or valuation complexity. Certain derivative transactions may give rise to a form of leverage. Leverage magnifies the potential for gain and the risk of loss.
•
Market and Geopolitical Risk. The value of your investment in the Fund is based on the values of the Fund’s investments, which may change due to economic and other events that affect markets generally, as well as those that affect particular regions, countries, industries, companies or governments. These events may be sudden and unexpected, and could adversely affect the liquidity of the Fund’s investments, which may in turn impact valuation, the Fund’s ability to sell securities and/or its ability to meet redemptions. The risks associated with these developments may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as war, natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts and social unrest) adversely interrupt the global economy and financial markets. It is difficult to predict when events affecting the U.S. or global financial markets may occur, the effects that such events may have and the duration of those effects (which may last for extended periods). These events may negatively impact broad segments of businesses and populations and have a significant and rapid negative impact on the performance of the Fund’s investments, adversely affect and increase the volatility of the Fund’s share price and exacerbate pre-existing risks to the Fund.
Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective, and you can lose money investing in this Fund.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Performance Information
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
Pursuant to an agreement and plan of reorganization between the Company, on behalf of the Fund, and Morgan Stanley Frontier Emerging Markets Fund, Inc. (the “Frontier Predecessor Fund”), on September 17, 2012 the Fund acquired all of the assets and liabilities of the Frontier Predecessor Fund in exchange for Class I shares of the Fund (the “Frontier Reorganization”). As a result of the Frontier Reorganization, the Fund is the accounting successor of the Frontier Predecessor Fund. The historical performance information shown below reflects, for the period prior to the Frontier Reorganization, the historical performance of the Frontier Predecessor Fund. The Frontier Predecessor Fund may have performed differently if it were an open-end fund since closed-end funds are generally not subject to the cash flow fluctuations of an open-end fund. The Fund changed its name from Frontier Emerging
Markets Portfolio to Frontier Markets Portfolio effective March 31, 2017 and from Frontier Markets Portfolio to Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio effective June 30, 2021.
The bar chart and table on the following page provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’* performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time. The performance of the other classes, which is shown in the table below, will differ because the classes have different ongoing fees. The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted). 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 online at www.morganstanley.com/im or by calling toll-free 1-800-548-7786.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The bar chart and table on the following page provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s Class I shares’* performance from year-to-year and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for the past one, five and 10 year periods and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance, as well as an index that represents a group of similar mutual funds, over time.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone 1-800-548-7786
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.morganstanley.com/im
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 Annual Total Returns*—Calendar Years
Bar Chart Footnotes [Text Block] rr_BarChartFootnotesTextBlock
Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I shares reflects the performance of the common shares of the Frontier Predecessor Fund for periods prior to September 17, 2012.
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Fund’s returns in the table include the maximum applicable sales charge for Class A and Class C and assume you sold your shares at the end of each period (unless otherwise noted).
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns.
Performance Table Explanation after Tax Higher rr_PerformanceTableExplanationAfterTaxHigher After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
High Quarter
06/30/20
30.60%
Low Quarter
03/31/20
-30.06%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average Annual Total Returns(for the calendar periods ended December 31, 2021)
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock
The after-tax returns shown in the table above are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates during the period shown and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns for the Fund’s other classes will vary from Class I shares’ returns. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. After-tax returns may be higher than before-tax returns due to an assumed benefit from capital losses that would have been realized had Fund shares been sold at the end of the relevant periods, as applicable.
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.29% [53]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.63% [53]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.81% [53]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 0.04% [53],[54]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | MSCI Frontier Markets/MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Blend Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 18.49% [55]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.34% [55]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.23% [55]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.09% [54],[55]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | MSCI Frontier Markets Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 19.73% [56]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 9.57% [56]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.34% [56]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.17% [54],[56]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index (reflects no deduction for taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.56%) [57]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 10.52% [57]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.20% [57]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 4.61% [54],[57]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.20% [58]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.99%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.19% [59]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.94% [59]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.25% [59]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 127
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 499
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 997
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,371
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 127
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 499
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 997
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,371
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 22.28%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 32.95%
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 2.66%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (10.58%)
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 3.83%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 20.82%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (22.60%)
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 12.53%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 14.02%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 15.34%
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel High Quarter
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 30.60%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Jun. 30, 2020
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Low Quarter
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (30.06%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.34% [60]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.71% [60]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.93% [60]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.60% [60]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.34% [60],[61]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.43% [60],[61]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 7.73% [60],[61]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.41% [60],[61]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class I | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 9.08% [60]
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.25% [60]
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.52% [60]
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.08% [60]
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none [62]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.20% [58]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.22%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.67% [59]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 1.07% [59]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.60% [59]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months after purchase, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 679
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,112
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,679
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 3,215
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 679
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 1,112
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,679
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 3,215
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 8.86%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.20%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.88%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class L  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.20% [58]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.69%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 3.64% [59]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 1.54% [59]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.10% [59]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 213
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 820
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,612
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 3,688
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 213
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 820
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,612
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 3,688
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 14.32%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.78%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 5.89%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00% [63]
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.20% [58]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 1.44%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 3.64% [59]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 1.29% [59]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 2.35% [59]
Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block] rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 338
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 869
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,657
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 3,504
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 238
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 869
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 1,657
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 3,504
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 13.01%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.54%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.18%
(MSIF - Non U.S. and Global Portfolios) | (Next Gen Emerging Markets Portfolio) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Sales Charge Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of Offering Price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of Amount Redeemed) rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption 2.00%
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.20% [58]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.60%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.80% [59]
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets 0.60% [59]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.20% [59]
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 122
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 446
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 859
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,014
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 122
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 446
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 859
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,014
Past One Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 15.34%
Past Five Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.73%
Past Ten Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10
Since Inception rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.65%
[1]
2 The MSCI All Country World ex USA Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index designed to measure the equity market performance of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Returns, including periods prior to January 1, 2001, are calculated using the return data of the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (gross dividends) through December 31, 2000 and the return data of the MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (net dividends) after December 31, 2000. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[2]
3 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[3]
4 The Active International Allocation Blend Index is a performance linked benchmark of the old and new benchmark of the Fund, the old benchmark represented by MSCI EAFE Index (index that is designed to measure the international equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States and Canada) from the Fund’s inception to December 31, 2016 and the new benchmark represented by MSCI All Country World ex USA Index for periods thereafter. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[4]
5 The Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index.
[5]
3 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 0.90% for Class I, 1.25% for Class A, 1.75% for Class L, 2.00% for Class C and 0.85% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[6]
1 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[7]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[8]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[9]
2 The MSCI China Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that captures large and mid cap representation across China A shares, H shares, B shares, Red chips, P chips and foreign listings (e.g. ADRs). The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[10]
3 Since Inception reflects the inception date of the Fund.
[11]
4 The Lipper China Regions Funds Index is an equally weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper China Regions Funds classification. There are currently 10 funds represented in this index.
[12]
3 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 1.20% for Class I, 1.55% for Class A, 2.30% for Class C and 1.15% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[13]
1 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[14]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[15]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[16]
3 The MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index currently consists of 24 emerging market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[17]
4 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[18]
5 The Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Emerging Markets Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index.
[19]
3 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 1.20% for Class I, 1.55% for Class A, 2.30% for Class C and 1.10% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[20]
1 Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I, Class A and Class R6 shares reflects the performance of the limited partnership interests of the Private Fund for periods prior to the Emerging Markets Leaders Reorganization, adjusted to reflect any applicable sales charge of the class, but not adjusted for any other differences in expenses. If adjusted for other expenses, returns would be different.
[21]
2 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[22]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[23]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[24]
2 The MSCI Emerging Markets Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure equity market performance of emerging markets. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI Emerging Markets Index currently consists of 24 emerging market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Returns, including periods prior to January 1, 2001, are calculated using the return data of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (gross dividends) through December 31, 2000 and the return data of the MSCI Emerging Markets Net Index (net dividends) after December 31, 2000. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[25]
3 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[26]
4 The Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Emerging Markets Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index.
[27]
3 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 1.05% for Class I, 1.40% for Class A, 1.90% for Class L, 2.15% for Class C and 0.95% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[28]
1 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[29]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[30]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[31]
2 The MSCI World Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the global equity market performance of developed markets. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI World Net Index currently consists of 23 developed market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[32]
3 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[33]
4 Lipper Global Large-Cap Core Funds Index is an equally weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Global Large-Cap Core Funds classification. There are currently 10 funds represented in this index.
[34]
1 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[35]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[36]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[37]
2 The MSCI World Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization weighted index that is designed to measure the global equity market performance of developed markets. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI World Net Index currently consists of 23 developed market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[38]
3 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[39]
4 The Lipper Global Large-Cap Core Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Global Large-Cap Core Funds classification. There are currently 10 funds represented in this index. The Fund’s Lipper category changed from Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth to Lipper Global Large-Cap Core.
[40]
5 The Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Global Large-Cap Growth Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index.
[41]
3 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 0.90% for Class I, 1.25% for Class A, 1.75% for Class L, 2.00% for Class C and 0.85% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[42]
1 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[43]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[44]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[45]
2 The MSCI EAFE Index (Europe, Australasia, Far East) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure the international equity market performance of developed markets, excluding the United States and Canada. The term “free float” represents the portion of shares outstanding that are deemed to be available for purchase in the public equity markets by investors. The MSCI EAFE Index currently consists of 21 developed market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[46]
3 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[47]
4 The Lipper International Large-Cap Core Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper International Large-Cap Core Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index. The Fund’s Lipper category has changed from Lipper International Large-Cap Growth to Lipper International Large-Cap Core.
[48]
5 The Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds Index is an equally-weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper International Large-Cap Growth Funds classification. There are currently 30 funds represented in this index.
[49]
3 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 0.95% for Class I, 1.30% for Class A, 1.80% for Class L, 2.05% for Class C and 0.91% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate.
[50]
1 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[51]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[52]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.
[53]
3 The MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of frontier emerging markets. The MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Index captures large and mid cap representation across 32 Frontier Emerging Markets countries.The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Effective June 30, 2021, the Fund changed it’s primary benchmark to MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index because the Adviser believes it is a more appropriate benchmark for the Fund.
[54]
4 Since Inception reflects the inception date of Class I.
[55]
5 The MSCI Frontier Markets/MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Blend Net Index is performance linked benchmark of the old and new benchmark of the Fund. The old benchmark represented by the MSCI Frontier Markets Net Index from the Fund’s inception to June 29, 2021 to the new benchmark represented by the MSCI Frontier Emerging Markets Net Index for periods thereafter. The performance of the Index is calculated in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to nonresident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[56]
6 The MSCI Frontier Markets Net Index is a free float-adjusted market capitalization index that is designed to measure equity market performance of frontier markets. The MSCI Frontier Markets Net Index currently consists of 28 frontier market country indices. The performance of the index is listed in U.S. dollars and assumes reinvestment of net dividends. Net total return indices reinvest dividends after the deduction of withholding taxes, using (for international indices) a tax rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.
[57]
7 The Lipper Emerging Markets Funds Index is an equally weighted performance index of the largest qualifying funds (based on net assets) in the Lipper Emerging Markets Funds classification. The Index, which is adjusted for capital gains distributions and income dividends, is unmanaged and should not be considered an investment. There are currently 30 funds represented in this Index.
[58]
3 The Advisory Fee has been restated to reflect the decrease in the advisory fee effective August 16, 2021.
[59]
4 The Fund’s “Adviser,” Morgan Stanley Investment Management Inc., has agreed to reduce its advisory fee and/or reimburse the Fund so that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding acquired fund fees and expenses (as applicable), certain investment related expenses, taxes, interest and other extraordinary expenses (including litigation), will not exceed 1.25% for Class I, 1.60% for Class A, 2.10% for Class L, 2.35% for Class C and 1.20% for Class R6. The fee waivers and/or expense reimbursements will continue for at least two years from the date of the Next Gen Emerging Markets Reorganization (as defined in the section of the Prospectus entitled “Fund Management - Advisory Fees”) or until such time as the Board of Directors of Morgan Stanley Institutional Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) acts to discontinue all or a portion of such waivers and/or reimbursements when it deems such action is appropriate. Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement and Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement have been restated to reflect the current expense limitation arrangement.
[60]
1 Performance shown for the Fund’s Class I shares reflects the performance of the common shares of the Frontier Predecessor Fund for periods prior to September 17, 2012.
[61]
2 These returns do not reflect any tax consequences from a sale of your shares at the end of each period.
[62]
1
Investments in Class A shares that are not subject to any sales charges at the time of purchase are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) of 1.00% that will be imposed if you sell your shares within 12 months after purchase, except for certain specific circumstances. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for further information about the CDSC waiver categories.
[63]
2
The Class C CDSC is only applicable if you sell your shares within one year after the last day of the month of purchase. See “Shareholder Information—How To Redeem Fund Shares” for a complete discussion of the CDSC.