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Label Element Value
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Document Type dei_DocumentType 485BPOS
Document Period End Date dei_DocumentPeriodEndDate May 31, 2022
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName JOHN HANCOCK MUNICIPAL SECURITIES TRUST
Entity Inv Company Type dei_EntityInvCompanyType N-1A
Central Index Key dei_EntityCentralIndexKey 0000857769
Amendment Flag dei_AmendmentFlag false
Document Creation Date dei_DocumentCreationDate Sep. 23, 2022
Document Effective Date dei_DocumentEffectiveDate Oct. 01, 2022
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Oct. 01, 2022
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
To seek a high level of current income that is largely exempt from federal income tax, consistent with the preservation of capital.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) waivers (See Appendix 1 - Intermediary sales charge waivers, which includes information about specific sales charge waivers applicable to the intermediaries identified therein). More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and on pages 22 to 24 of the prospectus under “Sales charge reductions and waivers” or pages 113 to 117 of the fund’s Statement of Additional Information under “Sales Charges on Class A and Class C Shares.”
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 100,000
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)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination July 31, 2024
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Expense example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then, except as shown below, assuming you sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return and that fund expenses will not change over the periods. 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 Sold
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption Not Sold
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 42.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in municipal bonds. The fund considers municipal bonds to be comprised of securities the income from which is exempt from regular income tax and includes securities that generate income subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT). The manager normally invests primarily in medium- and lower-quality municipal securities rated A and below by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s), S&P Global Ratings (S&P), and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (Fitch), or their unrated equivalents. The fund may buy bonds of any maturity.
However, the fund will not invest more than 5% of its total assets in securities rated lower than B. The fund’s investment policies are based on credit ratings at the time of purchase. Bonds that are rated at or below BB by S&P or Fitch or Ba by Moody’s are considered junk bonds. Municipal bonds may be subject to the AMT and income may not be entirely tax-free to all investors.
The fund may invest heavily in bonds from any given state or region. The fund may engage in derivative transactions to reduce risk and/or enhance investment returns. Derivatives may include futures contracts on debt securities and debt securities indexes; options on futures, debt securities and debt indexes; and inverse floating-rate securities. The fund may also use tender option bond transactions to seek to enhance potential gains. The fund will look through to the underlying municipal bonds held by a tender option bond trust for purposes of the fund’s 80% policy. The fund may leverage its assets through the use of proceeds received as a result of tender option bond transactions. The fund may contribute up to 15% of its holdings in municipal securities to tender option bond transactions.
The manager looks for undervalued bonds, based on both broad and security-specific factors such as issuer creditworthiness, bond structure, and general credit trends, and uses detailed analysis of an appropriate index to model portfolio performance and composition. The fund does not intend to engage in frequent trading.

The fund may invest in general obligation bonds, however, in general, the manager favors bonds backed by revenue from a specific public project or facility, such as a power plant (revenue bonds), which tend to offer higher yields than general obligation bonds. The manager also favors bonds that have limitations on early payoff (call protection), which can help minimize the potential effect of falling interest rates on the fund’s yield.
For liquidity and flexibility, the fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in taxable and tax-free investment-grade short-term securities.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money. The fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results.
During periods of heightened market volatility or reduced liquidity, governments, their agencies, or other regulatory bodies, both within the United States and abroad, may take steps to intervene. These actions, which could include legislative, regulatory, or economic initiatives, might have unforeseeable consequences and could adversely affect the fund’s performance or otherwise constrain the fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
The fund’s main risks are listed below in alphabetical order, not in order of importance. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.
Changing distribution levels risk. The fund may cease or reduce the level of its distribution if income or dividends paid from its investments declines.
Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of fund securities may not make timely payments or otherwise honor its obligations. A downgrade or default affecting any of the fund’s securities could affect the fund’s performance.
Economic and market events risk. Events in the U.S. and global financial markets, including actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility, which could negatively impact performance. Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets could adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates rise or economic conditions deteriorate.
Fixed-income securities risk. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or duration of the bonds held by a fund, the more sensitive it will likely be to interest-rate fluctuations. An issuer may not make all interest payments or repay all or any of the principal borrowed. Changes in a security’s credit quality may adversely affect fund performance.
Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase a fund’s volatility and could produce disproportionate losses, potentially more than the fund’s principal investment. Risks of these transactions are different from and possibly greater than risks of investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments. Under certain market conditions, derivatives could become harder to value or sell and may become subject to liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions). Derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize include: futures contracts; inverse floating-rate securities; and options. Futures contracts and options generally are subject to counterparty risk. Regulatory changes in derivative markets could impact the cost of or the fund’s ability to engage in derivative transactions.
Liquidity risk. The extent (if at all) to which a security may be sold or a derivative position closed without negatively impacting its market value may be impaired by reduced market activity or participation, legal restrictions, or other economic and market impediments. Liquidity risk may be magnified in rising interest rate environments due to higher than normal redemption rates. Widespread selling of fixed-income securities to satisfy redemptions during periods of reduced demand may adversely impact their price or salability. The secondary market for certain tax-exempt securities tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may result in increased volatility or liquidity risk.
Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities risk. Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities (junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk, risk of default, and price volatility than higher-rated fixed-income securities, may be considered speculative, and can be difficult to resell.
Municipal bond risk. The prices of municipal bonds, including general obligation bonds, can decline if the issuer’s credit quality declines. Revenue bond prices can decline if related projects become unprofitable. An insured municipal bond is subject to the risk that the insurer may be unable to pay claims and is not insured with respect to the market value of the obligation. Municipal bond income could become taxable in the future. Investments in bonds subject to the alternative minimum tax may result in tax liability for shareholders.
Operational and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity breaches may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a fund or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Similar incidents affecting issuers of a fund’s securities may negatively impact performance. Operational risk may arise from human error, error by third parties, communication errors, or technology failures, among other causes.
Sector risk. When a fund focuses its investments in certain sectors of the economy, its performance may be driven largely by sector performance and could fluctuate more widely than if the fund were invested more evenly across sectors.
State/region risk. Investing heavily in any one state or region increases exposure to losses in that state or region. Factors that may affect performance include economic or political changes, tax base erosion, state constitutional limits on tax increases, budget deficits and other financial difficulties, and changes in credit ratings. Puerto Rican municipal obligations, in which the fund may invest, may be subject to further devaluation due to adverse political, economic, and market conditions.
Tender option bonds risk. The fund’s participation in tender option bond transactions may increase volatility and/or reduce the fund’s returns. Tender option bond transactions create leverage. Leverage magnifies returns, both positive and negative, and risk by magnifying the volatility of returns. An investment in a tender option bond transaction typically involves greater risk than investing in the underlying municipal fixed rate bonds, including the risk of loss of principal.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Past performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The following information illustrates the variability of the fund’s returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compared with a broad-based market index.The Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index shows how the fund’s performance compares against the returns of similar investments.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance information is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly and may be obtained at our website, jhinvestments.com, or by calling 800-225-5291 (Class A and Class C), Monday to Thursday, 8:00 A.M.—7:00 P.M., and Friday, 8:00 A.M.—6:00 P.M., Eastern time, or 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6) between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.
A note on performance
Class A shares commenced operations on December 31, 1993. Class I shares commenced operations on February 13, 2017. Class R6 shares commenced operations on August 30, 2017. Returns shown prior to the commencement date of Class I shares and Class R6 shares are those of Class A shares, except that they do not include sales charges and would be lower if they did. Returns for Class I and Class R6 shares would have been substantially similar to returns of Class A shares because each share class is invested in the same portfolio of securities and returns would differ only to the extent that expenses of the classes are different. To the extent expenses of a class would have been higher than expenses of Class A shares for the periods shown, performance would have been lower.
Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only) reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rate in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. After-tax returns for other share classes would vary. The returns for Class A shares have been adjusted to reflect the reduction in the maximum sales charge from 4.50% to 4.00%, effective February 3, 2014.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following information illustrates the variability of the fund’s returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compared with a broad-based market index.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone calling 800-225-5291 (Class A and Class C), Monday to Thursday, 8:00 A.M.—7:00 P.M., and Friday, 8:00 A.M.—6:00 P.M., Eastern time, or 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6) between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress jhinvestments.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Calendar year total returns (%)—Class A (sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart and returns would have been lower if they were) 
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart and returns would have been lower if they were
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only) reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rate in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
Year-to-date total return. The fund’s total return for the six months ended June 30, 2022, was -14.26%.
Best quarter:2014, Q1, 4.38%
Worst quarter:2020, Q1, -6.31%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average annual total returns (%)—as of 12/31/21
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Bloomberg High Yield Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 7.77%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 7.53%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 6.72%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.52%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.17%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.72%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther 4.00%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther $ 20
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.96%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.19%) [1],[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.77%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 475
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 675
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 892
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,514
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 11.37%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 (6.36%)
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 12.57%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 2.99%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 1.28%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 6.81%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 0.59%
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 9.14%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 4.62%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 5.97%
Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel Year-to-date total return. The fund’s total return for the six months ended June 30, 2022, was -14.26%.
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (14.26%)
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Jun. 30, 2022
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best quarter:2014, Q1, 4.38%
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 4.38%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2014
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst quarter:2020, Q1, -6.31%
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (6.31%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2020
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.67%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.53%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.33%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Class A | after tax on distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.51%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.32%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.18%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Class A | after tax on distributions, with sale  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 2.34%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 6.88%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.09%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther $ 20
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.71%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.19%) [1],[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.52%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 255
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 520
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 910
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,004
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 155
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 520
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 910
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 2,004
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 4.17%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.60%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.98%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.71%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.09%) [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.62%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 63
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 218
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 386
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 874
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 6.12%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.56%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.85%
(John Hancock High Yield Municipal Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (High Yield Municipal Bond Fund) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.55%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.13%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.68%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.09%) [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.59%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 60
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 208
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 370
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 838
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 6.15%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.57%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 4.85%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
To seek as high a level of interest income exempt from federal income tax as is consistent with preservation of capital.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) waivers (See Appendix 1 - Intermediary sales charge waivers, which includes information about specific sales charge waivers applicable to the intermediaries identified therein). More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and on pages 22 to 24 of the prospectus under “Sales charge reductions and waivers” or pages 113 to 117 of the fund’s Statement of Additional Information under “Sales Charges on Class A and Class C Shares.”
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 100,000
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)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination July 31, 2024
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Expense example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then, except as shown below, assuming you sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return and that fund expenses will not change over the periods. 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 Sold
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption Not Sold
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 32% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 32.00%
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus amounts borrowed for investment purposes, in tax-exempt bonds of any maturity. The fund primarily invests in bonds that are investment grade when purchased, but the fund may also invest up to 35% of its net assets in non-investment grade bonds rated BB or lower by S&P Global Ratings (S&P), Fitch Ratings (Fitch), or Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (NRSRO) or unrated equivalents. The fund may invest in other fixed income securities which include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments. The fund’s investment policies are based on credit ratings at the time of purchase.
The fund may invest in general obligation bonds, however, in general, the manager favors bonds backed by revenue from a specific public project or facility, such as a power plant (revenue bonds), as they tend to offer higher yields than general obligation bonds. The manager also favors bonds that have limitations on early payoff (call protection), which can help minimize the effect of falling interest rates on the fund’s yield. To the extent that the fund invests in bonds that are subject to the alternative minimum tax (AMT), the income paid by the fund may not be entirely tax-free to all investors. Investments in bonds subject to the AMT will not be counted toward the fund’s 80% investment policy.
The fund may buy bonds of any maturity or duration. The fund may invest heavily in bonds from any given state or region, and may have substantial investments in obligations of certain states and their agencies, instrumentalities, and/or political subdivisions. The fund may engage in derivative transactions that include futures contracts on debt securities and debt securities indexes; options on futures, debt securities, and debt indexes; and inverse floating-rate securities, in each case, for the purposes of reducing risk and/or enhancing investment returns. The fund may also use tender option bond transactions to seek to enhance potential gains. The fund will look through to the underlying municipal bonds held by a tender option bond trust for purposes of the fund’s 80% policy. The fund may leverage its assets through the use of proceeds received as a result of tender option bond transactions. The fund may contribute up to 15% of its holdings in municipal securities to tender option bond transactions.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money. The fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results.
During periods of heightened market volatility or reduced liquidity, governments, their agencies, or other regulatory bodies, both within the United States and abroad, may take steps to intervene. These actions, which could include legislative, regulatory, or economic initiatives, might have unforeseeable consequences and could adversely affect the fund’s performance or otherwise constrain the fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
The fund’s main risks are listed below in alphabetical order, not in order of importance. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 6 of the prospectus.
Changing distribution levels risk. The fund may cease or reduce the level of its distribution if income or dividends paid from its investments declines.
Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of fund securities may not make timely payments or otherwise honor its obligations. A downgrade or default affecting any of the fund’s securities could affect the fund’s performance.
Economic and market events risk. Events in the U.S. and global financial markets, including actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility, which could negatively impact
performance. Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets could adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates rise or economic conditions deteriorate.
Fixed-income securities risk. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or duration of the bonds held by a fund, the more sensitive it will likely be to interest-rate fluctuations. An issuer may not make all interest payments or repay all or any of the principal borrowed. Changes in a security’s credit quality may adversely affect fund performance.
Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase a fund’s volatility and could produce disproportionate losses, potentially more than the fund’s principal investment. Risks of these transactions are different from and possibly greater than risks of investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments. Under certain market conditions, derivatives could become harder to value or sell and may become subject to liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions). Derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize include: futures contracts; inverse floating-rate securities; options on futures; and options. Futures contracts and options generally are subject to counterparty risk.
Liquidity risk. The extent (if at all) to which a security may be sold or a derivative position closed without negatively impacting its market value may be impaired by reduced market activity or participation, legal restrictions, or other economic and market impediments. Liquidity risk may be magnified in rising interest rate environments due to higher than normal redemption rates. Widespread selling of fixed-income securities to satisfy redemptions during periods of reduced demand may adversely impact their price or salability. The secondary market for certain tax-exempt securities tends to be less well-developed or liquid than many other securities markets, which may result in increased volatility or liquidity risk.
Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities risk. Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities (junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk, risk of default, and price volatility than higher-rated fixed-income securities, may be considered speculative, and can be difficult to resell.
Municipal bond risk. The prices of municipal bonds, including general obligation bonds, can decline if the issuer’s credit quality declines. Revenue bond prices can decline if related projects become unprofitable. An insured municipal bond is subject to the risk that the insurer may be unable to pay claims and is not insured with respect to the market value of the obligation. Municipal bond income could become taxable in the future. Investments in bonds subject to the alternative minimum tax may result in tax liability for shareholders.
Operational and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity breaches may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a fund or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Similar incidents affecting issuers of a fund’s securities may negatively impact performance. Operational risk may arise from human error, error by third parties, communication errors, or technology failures, among other causes.
Sector risk. When a fund focuses its investments in certain sectors of the economy, its performance may be driven largely by sector performance and could fluctuate more widely than if the fund were invested more evenly across sectors.
State/region risk. Investing heavily in any one state or region increases exposure to losses in that state or region. Factors that may affect performance include economic or political changes, tax base erosion, state constitutional limits on tax increases, budget deficits and other financial difficulties, and changes in credit ratings. Puerto Rican municipal obligations, in which the fund may invest, may be subject to further devaluation due to adverse political, economic, and market conditions. Because the fund has substantial investments in obligations of certain states, and their agencies, instrumentalities, and/or political subdivisions, its performance also will be affected by risk factors specific to those states.
Tender option bonds risk. The fund’s participation in tender option bond transactions may increase volatility and/or reduce the fund’s returns. Tender option bond transactions create leverage. Leverage magnifies returns, both positive and negative, and risk by magnifying the volatility of returns. An investment in a tender option bond transaction typically involves greater risk than investing in the underlying municipal fixed rate bonds, including the risk of loss of principal.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Past performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
The following information illustrates the variability of the fund’s returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compared with a broad-based market index.Past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results. All figures assume dividend reinvestment. Performance information is updated daily, monthly, and quarterly and may be obtained at our website, jhinvestments.com, or by calling 800-225-5291 (Class A and Class C), Monday to Thursday, 8:00 A.M.—7:00 P.M., and Friday, 8:00 A.M.—6:00 P.M., Eastern time, or 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6) between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.
A note on performance
Class A shares commenced operations on January 5, 1990. Class I shares commenced operations on February 13, 2017. Class R6 shares commenced operations on August 30, 2017. Returns shown prior to the commencement date of Class I shares and Class R6 shares are those of Class A shares, except that they do not include sales charges and would be lower if they did. Returns for Class I and Class R6 shares would have been substantially similar to returns of Class A shares because each share class is invested in the same portfolio of securities and returns would differ only
to the extent that expenses of the classes are different. To the extent expenses of a class would have been higher than expenses of Class A shares for the periods shown, performance would have been lower.
Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only) reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rate in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. After-tax returns for other share classes would vary. The returns for Class A shares have been adjusted to reflect the reduction in the maximum sales charge from 4.50% to 4.00%, effective February 3, 2014.
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following information illustrates the variability of the fund’s returns and provides some indication of the risks of investing in the fund by showing changes in the fund’s performance from year to year and by showing how the fund’s average annual returns compared with a broad-based market index.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone calling 800-225-5291 (Class A and Class C), Monday to Thursday, 8:00 A.M.—7:00 P.M., and Friday, 8:00 A.M.—6:00 P.M., Eastern time, or 888-972-8696 (Class I and Class R6) between 8:30 A.M. and 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on most business days.
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress jhinvestments.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past performance (before and after taxes) does not indicate future results.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading Calendar year total returns (%)—Class A (sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart and returns would have been lower if they were) 
Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text] rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads sales charges are not reflected in the bar chart and returns would have been lower if they were
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only) reflect the highest individual federal marginal income-tax rate in effect as of the date provided and do not reflect any state or local taxes.
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown Please note that after-tax returns (shown for Class A shares only)
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock
Year-to-date total return. The fund’s total return for the six months ended June 30, 2022, was -9.75%.
Best quarter:2014, Q1, 4.13%
Worst quarter:2016, Q4, -4.15%
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading Average annual total returns (%)—as of 12/31/21
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.52%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.17%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.72%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther 4.00%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther $ 20
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51% [3]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.87%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.13%) [4],[5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.74%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 473
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 654
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 851
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,418
Annual Return 2012 rr_AnnualReturn2012 8.47%
Annual Return 2013 rr_AnnualReturn2013 (5.07%)
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 11.27%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 2.64%
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 (0.43%)
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 5.47%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 0.13%
Annual Return 2019 rr_AnnualReturn2019 7.92%
Annual Return 2020 rr_AnnualReturn2020 4.05%
Annual Return 2021 rr_AnnualReturn2021 3.24%
Year to Date Return, Label rr_YearToDateReturnLabel Year-to-date total return. The fund’s total return for the six months ended June 30, 2022, was -9.75%.
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return rr_BarChartYearToDateReturn (9.75%)
Bar Chart, Year to Date Return, Date rr_BarChartYearToDateReturnDate Jun. 30, 2022
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel Best quarter:2014, Q1, 4.13%
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 4.13%
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Mar. 31, 2014
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel Worst quarter:2016, Q4, -4.15%
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (4.15%)
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2016
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.91%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.29%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.24%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class A | after tax on distributions  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.01%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.24%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.20%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class A | after tax on distributions, with sale  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.48%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 5.43%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.26%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther $ 20
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51% [3]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.62%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.13%) [4],[5]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.49%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 252
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 498
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 869
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 1,911
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 152
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 498
Expense Example, No Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05 869
Expense Example, No Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10 $ 1,911
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.46%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.35%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 2.89%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51% [3]
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 0.62%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.03%) [4]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.59%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 60
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 196
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 343
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 771
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.39%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.32%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.76%
(John Hancock Tax-Free Bond Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.51% [3]
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.08%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.59%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.03%) [4]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.56%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 57
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 186
Expense Example, with Redemption, 5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 326
Expense Example, with Redemption, 10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 735
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 3.42%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 4.29%
10 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear10 3.75%
(John Hancock Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund)  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment objective
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock
To seek total return exempt from federal income tax as is consistent with preservation of capital.
Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading Fees and expenses
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock
This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds. Intermediaries may have different policies and procedures regarding the availability of front-end sales charge waivers or contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC) waivers (See Appendix 1 - Intermediary sales charge waivers, which includes information about specific sales charge waivers applicable to the intermediaries identified therein). More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and on pages 18 to 20 of the prospectus under “Sales charge reductions and waivers” or pages 113 to 117 of the fund’s Statement of Additional Information under “Sales Charges on Class A and Class C Shares.”
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts on Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $100,000 in the John Hancock family of funds.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount $ 100,000
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)
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination July 31, 2024
Other Expenses, New Fund, Based on Estimates [Text] rr_OtherExpensesNewFundBasedOnEstimates “Other expenses,” such as expected transfer agency expenses, have been estimated for the first year of operations of the fund’s Class A, Class C, Class I, and Class R6 shares.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading Expense example
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. Please see below a hypothetical example showing the expenses of a $10,000 investment for the time periods indicated and then, except as shown below, assuming you sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example assumes a 5% average annual return and that fund expenses will not change over the periods. 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 Sold
Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text] rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption Not Sold
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading Portfolio turnover
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. Because the fund has not reached the end of its first fiscal year, there is no portfolio turnover to report.
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading Principal investment strategies
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock
Under normal market conditions, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus amounts borrowed for investment purposes, in municipal bonds that pay interest exempt from federal income tax. Most of these securities are investment-grade, although the fund may invest up to 35% of its net assets in below-investment-grade debt securities (junk bonds) rated as low as CC by S&P Global Ratings (S&P) and Fitch Ratings (Fitch) and Ca by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s), or comparable rating by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO), or their unrated equivalents. Non-investment grade securities may also be referred to as below investment grade securities, commonly known as “junk bonds”. The fund may invest in fixed income securities which include bonds, debt securities and other similar instruments. The fund’s investment policies are based on credit ratings at the time of purchase.
The fund may buy municipal bonds and other fixed income securities of any maturity. The fund will have an average effective duration of 4.5 years or less. Duration is a measure of the sensitivity of a fixed income security’s price to changes in interest rates. The fund may invest heavily in bonds from any given state or region and may have substantial investments in obligations of certain states and their agencies, instrumentalities, and/or political subdivisions.
The fund may engage in derivative transactions that include futures contracts on debt securities and debt securities indexes; options on futures, debt securities, and debt indexes; and inverse floating-rate securities, in each case, for the purposes of reducing risk and/or enhancing investment returns.
The fund may invest in general obligation bonds, however, in general, the manager favors bonds backed by revenue from a specific public project or facility, such as a power plant (revenue bonds), as they tend to offer higher yields than general obligation bonds.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading Principal risks
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock
An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money. The fund’s investment strategy may not produce the intended results.
During periods of heightened market volatility or reduced liquidity, governments, their agencies, or other regulatory bodies, both within the United States and abroad, may take steps to intervene. These actions, which could include legislative, regulatory, or economic initiatives, might have unforeseeable consequences and could adversely affect the fund’s performance or otherwise constrain the fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.
The fund’s main risks are listed below in alphabetical order, not in order of importance. Before investing, be sure to read the additional descriptions of these risks beginning on page 5 of the prospectus.
Changing distribution levels risk. The fund may cease or reduce the level of its distribution if income or dividends paid from its investments declines.
Credit and counterparty risk. The issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, the counterparty to an over-the-counter derivatives contract, or a borrower of fund securities may not make timely payments or otherwise honor its obligations. A downgrade or default affecting any of the fund’s securities could affect the fund’s performance.
Economic and market events risk. Events in the U.S. and global financial markets, including actions taken by the U.S. Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility, which could negatively impact performance. Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed-income markets could adversely affect issuers worldwide. Banks and financial services companies could suffer losses if interest rates rise or economic conditions deteriorate.
Fixed-income securities risk. A rise in interest rates typically causes bond prices to fall. The longer the average maturity or duration of the bonds held by a fund, the more sensitive it will likely be to interest-rate fluctuations. An issuer may not make all interest payments or repay all or any of the principal borrowed. Changes in a security’s credit quality may adversely affect fund performance.
Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions risk. Hedging, derivatives, and other strategic transactions may increase a fund’s volatility and could produce disproportionate losses, potentially more than the fund’s principal investment. Risks of these transactions are different from and possibly greater than risks of investing directly in securities and other traditional instruments. Under certain market conditions, derivatives could become harder to value or sell and may become subject to liquidity risk (i.e., the inability to enter into closing transactions). Derivatives and other strategic transactions that the fund intends to utilize include: futures contracts; inverse floating-rate securities; options on futures; and options. Futures contracts and options generally are subject to counterparty risk.
Liquidity risk. The extent (if at all) to which a security may be sold or a derivative position closed without negatively impacting its market value may be impaired by reduced market activity or participation, legal restrictions, or other economic and market impediments. Liquidity risk may be magnified in rising interest rate environments due to higher than normal redemption rates. Widespread selling of fixed-income securities to satisfy redemptions during periods of reduced demand may adversely impact the price or salability of such securities. Periods of heavy redemption could cause the fund to sell assets at a loss or depressed value, which could negatively affect performance. Redemption risk is heightened during periods of declining or illiquid markets.
Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities risk. Lower-rated and high-yield fixed-income securities (junk bonds) are subject to greater credit quality risk, risk of default, and price volatility than higher-rated fixed-income securities, may be considered speculative, and can be difficult to resell.
Municipal bond risk. The prices of municipal bonds, including general obligation bonds, can decline if the issuer’s credit quality declines. Revenue bond prices can decline if related projects become unprofitable. An insured municipal bond is subject to the risk that the insurer may be unable to pay claims and is not insured with respect to the market value of the obligation. Municipal bond income could become taxable in the future. Investments in bonds subject to the alternative minimum tax may result in tax liability for shareholders.
Operational and cybersecurity risk. Cybersecurity breaches may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause a fund or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Similar incidents affecting issuers of a fund’s securities may negatively impact performance. Operational risk may arise from human error, error by third parties, communication errors, or technology failures, among other causes.
Sector risk. When a fund focuses its investments in certain sectors of the economy, its performance may be driven largely by sector performance and could fluctuate more widely than if the fund were invested more evenly across sectors.
State/region risk. Investing heavily in any one state or region increases exposure to losses in that state or region. Factors that may affect performance include economic or political changes, tax base erosion, state constitutional limits on tax increases, budget deficits and other financial difficulties, and changes in credit ratings. Puerto Rican municipal obligations, in which the fund may invest, may be subject to further devaluation due to adverse political, economic, and market conditions. Because the fund has substantial investments in obligations of certain states, and their agencies, instrumentalities, and/or political subdivisions, its performance also will be affected by risk factors specific to those states.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney Many factors affect performance, and fund shares will fluctuate in price, meaning you could lose money.
Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text] rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading Past performance
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock
This section normally shows how the fund’s total return has varied from year to year, along with a broad-based market index for reference. Performance information is not shown because the fund had been in operation for less than a full calendar year as of the date of this prospectus.
(John Hancock Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class A  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther 2.25%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 0.50%
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther $ 20
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.37%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.76% [6]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.38%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.76%) [7],[8]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.62%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 287
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 $ 579
(John Hancock Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class C  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther 1.00%
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther $ 20
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.37%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.76% [6]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.13%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.76%) [7],[8]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 1.37%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 239
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 594
Expense Example, No Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01 139
Expense Example, No Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03 $ 594
(John Hancock Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class I  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.37%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.76% [6]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.13%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.66%) [7]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.47%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 48
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 $ 294
(John Hancock Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund - Classes A, C, I and R6) | (Short Duration Municipal Opportunities Fund) | Class R6  
Prospectus: rr_ProspectusTable  
Maximum Cumulative Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumCumulativeSalesChargeOverOther none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (as a percentage) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Shareholder Fee, Other rr_ShareholderFeeOther none
Management Fees (as a percentage of Assets) rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.37%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses (as a percentage of Assets): rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.73% [6]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.10%
Fee Waiver or Reimbursement rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets (0.66%) [7]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement rr_NetExpensesOverAssets 0.44%
Expense Example, with Redemption, 1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 45
Expense Example, with Redemption, 3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 $ 284
[1]
1 The advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the fund in an amount equal to the amount by which expenses of the fund exceed 0.58% of average daily net assets of the fund. For purposes of this agreement, “expenses of the fund” means all fund expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokerage commissions, (c) interest expense, (d) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund’s business, (e) class-specific expenses, (f) borrowing costs, (g) prime brokerage fees, (h) acquired fund fees and expenses paid indirectly, and (i) short dividend expense. This agreement expires on September 30, 2023, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the advisor and the fund based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. The advisor also contractually agrees to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for the fund and certain other John Hancock funds according to an asset level breakpoint schedule that is based on the aggregate net assets of all the funds participating in the waiver or reimbursement. This waiver is allocated proportionally among the participating funds. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund’s reimbursement amounted to 0.01% of the fund’s average daily net assets. This agreement expires on July 31, 2024, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
[2]
2 The distributor contractually agrees to limit its Rule 12b-1 fees for Class A and Class C shares to 0.15% and 0.90%, respectively. This agreement expires on September 30, 2023 unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the distributor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
[3]
1 “Management fee” has been restated to reflect the contractual management fee schedule effective October 1, 2022.
[4]
2 The advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the fund in an amount equal to the amount by which expenses of the fund exceed 0.55% of average daily net assets of the fund. For purposes of this agreement, “expenses of the fund” means all fund expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokerage commissions, (c) interest expense, (d) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund’s business, (e) class-specific expenses, (f) borrowing costs, (g) prime brokerage fees, (h) acquired fund fees and expenses paid indirectly, and (i) short dividend expense. This agreement expires on September 30, 2023, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the advisor and the fund based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. The advisor also contractually agrees to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for the fund and certain other John Hancock funds according to an asset level breakpoint schedule that is based on the aggregate net assets of all the funds participating in the waiver or reimbursement. This waiver is allocated proportionally among the participating funds. During its most recent fiscal year, the fund’s reimbursement amounted to 0.01% of the fund’s average daily net assets. This agreement expires on July 31, 2024, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
[5]
3 The distributor contractually agrees to limit its Rule 12b-1 fees for Class A and Class C shares to 0.15% and 0.90%%. This agreement expires on September 30, 2023 unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the distributor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
[6]
1 “Other expenses,” such as expected transfer agency expenses, have been estimated for the first year of operations of the fund’s Class A, Class C, Class I, and Class R6 shares.
[7]
2 The advisor contractually agrees to reduce its management fee or, if necessary, make payment to the fund in an amount equal to the amount by which expenses of the fund exceed 0.43% of average daily net assets of the fund. For purposes of this agreement, “expenses of the fund” means all fund expenses, excluding (a) taxes, (b) brokerage commissions, (c) interest expense, (d) litigation and indemnification expenses and other extraordinary expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund’s business, (e) class-specific expenses, (f) borrowing costs, (g) prime brokerage fees, (h) acquired fund fees and expenses paid indirectly, and (i) short dividend expense. This agreement expires on September 30, 2023, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the advisor and the fund based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time. The advisor also contractually agrees to waive a portion of its management fee and/or reimburse expenses for the fund and certain other John Hancock funds according to an asset level breakpoint schedule that is based on the aggregate net assets of all the funds participating in the waiver or reimbursement. This waiver is allocated proportionally among the participating funds. This agreement expires on July 31, 2024, unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the advisor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.
[8]
3 The distributor contractually agrees to limit its Rule 12b-1 fees for Class A and Class C shares to 0.15% and 0.90%, respectively. This agreement expires on September 30, 2023 unless renewed by mutual agreement of the fund and the distributor based upon a determination that this is appropriate under the circumstances at that time.