Earnings Income Per Share (Details) (USD $) In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2013	Mar. 31, 2012
Net Income Per Share Attributable To Parent
Net income attributable to Citrix Systems, Inc. stockholders	$ 59,688	$ 68,267
Denominator for basic earnings per share - weighted-average shares outstanding	186,658	185,730
Effect of dilutive employee stock awards	2,353	3,154
Denominator for diluted earnings per share - weighted-average shares outstanding	189,011	188,884
Net income per share attributable to Citrix Systems, Inc. stockholders- basic	$ 0.32	$ 0.37
Net income per share attributable to Citrix Systems, Inc. stockholders- diluted	$ 0.32	$ 0.36
Anti-dilutive weighted-average shares	3,928	3,805