Guarantor Financial Information - Consolidating Statement of Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended
Oct. 30, 2015	Oct. 24, 2014	Oct. 30, 2015	Oct. 24, 2014
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	$ 7,058	$ 4,366	$ 14,332	$ 8,639
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	2,182	1,142	4,638	2,247
Research and development expense	545	374	1,103	739
Selling, general, and administrative expense	2,343	1,507	4,792	3,013
Special (gains) charges, net	0	100	0	100
Restructuring charges, net	73	0	140	30
Certain litigation charges	26	0	26	0
Acquisition-related items	49	61	120	102
Amortization of intangible assets	483	89	964	176
Other (income) expense, net	57	63	118	114
Operating profit	1,300	1,030	2,431	2,118
Interest income	(107)	(86)	(222)	(178)
Interest expense	324	94	630	191
Interest expense, net	217	8	408	13
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Income from operations before income taxes	1,083	1,022	2,023	2,105
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	563	194	683	406
Net income	520	828	1,340	1,699
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(115)	(18)	(287)	91
Comprehensive income	405	810	1,053	1,790
Consolidating Adjustments [Member] \| Medtronic Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	(363)	(318)	(739)	(616)
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	(556)	(320)	(666)	(616)
Research and development expense	20	0	20	0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	(46)	0	(46)	0
Special (gains) charges, net		0		0
Restructuring charges, net	0	0	0	0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0	0	0	0
Amortization of intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Other (income) expense, net	0	0	0	0
Operating profit	219	2	(47)	0
Interest income	241	0	486	0
Interest expense	(241)	0	(486)	0
Interest expense, net	0	0	0	0
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	(4,894)	1,033	(2,262)	2,053
Income from operations before income taxes	5,113	(1,031)	2,215	(2,053)
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	0	0	0	0
Net income	5,113	(1,031)	2,215	(2,053)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	362	23	878	(86)
Comprehensive income	5,475	(1,008)	3,093	(2,139)
Consolidating Adjustments [Member] \| CIFSA Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0		0
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	26		26
Research and development expense	20		20
Selling, general, and administrative expense	(46)		(46)
Restructuring charges, net	0		0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0		0
Amortization of intangible assets	0		0
Other (income) expense, net	0		0
Operating profit	0		0
Interest income	333		676
Interest expense	(333)		(676)
Interest expense, net	0		0
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	8,300		9,947
Income from operations before income taxes	(8,300)		(9,947)
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	0		0
Net income	(8,300)		(9,947)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	121		637
Comprehensive income	(8,179)		(9,310)
Parent Company Guarantor (Medtronic plc) [Member] \| Medtronic Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0	0	0	0
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	0	0	0	0
Research and development expense	0	0	0	0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	54	0	149	0
Special (gains) charges, net		0		0
Restructuring charges, net	0	0	0	0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0	0	0	0
Amortization of intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Other (income) expense, net	56	0	34	0
Operating profit	(110)	0	(183)	0
Interest income	0	0	0	0
Interest expense	4	0	5	0
Interest expense, net	4	0	5	0
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	(590)	0	(1,520)	0
Income from operations before income taxes	476	0	1,332	0
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	(2)	0	(8)	0
Net income	478	0	1,340	0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(115)	0	(287)	0
Comprehensive income	363	0	1,053	0
Parent Company Guarantor (Medtronic plc) [Member] \| CIFSA Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0		0
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	0		0
Research and development expense	0		0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	54		149
Restructuring charges, net	0		0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0		0
Amortization of intangible assets	0		0
Other (income) expense, net	56		34
Operating profit	(110)		(183)
Interest income	0		0
Interest expense	4		5
Interest expense, net	4		5
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	(590)		(1,520)
Income from operations before income taxes	476		1,332
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	(2)		(8)
Net income	478		1,340
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(115)		(287)
Comprehensive income	363		1,053
Subsidiary Issuer [Member] \| Medtronic Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	363	309	736	612
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	345	304	700	602
Research and development expense	85	118	219	234
Selling, general, and administrative expense	42	242	224	483
Special (gains) charges, net		100		100
Restructuring charges, net	5	6	5	6
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	55	98	55	98
Amortization of intangible assets	3	3	6	6
Other (income) expense, net	(348)	(318)	(579)	(533)
Operating profit	176	(244)	106	(384)
Interest income	(57)	0	(121)	0
Interest expense	455	84	899	173
Interest expense, net	398	84	778	173
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	5,902	(1,033)	4,947	(2,053)
Income from operations before income taxes	(6,124)	705	(5,619)	1,496
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	3	(121)	(159)	(203)
Net income	(6,127)	826	(5,460)	1,699
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(52)	(18)	(224)	91
Comprehensive income	(6,179)	808	(5,684)	1,790
Subsidiary Issuer [Member] \| CIFSA Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0		0
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	0		0
Research and development expense	0		0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	1		1
Restructuring charges, net	0		0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0		0
Amortization of intangible assets	0		0
Other (income) expense, net	0		0
Operating profit	(1)		(1)
Interest income	(150)		(310)
Interest expense	27		59
Interest expense, net	(123)		(251)
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	(7,292)		(7,262)
Income from operations before income taxes	7,414		7,512
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	0		0
Net income	7,414		7,512
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	109		(63)
Comprehensive income	7,523		7,449
Subsidiary Guarantors [Member] \| Medtronic Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0	0	0	0
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	0	0	0	0
Research and development expense	0	0	0	0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	0	0	0	0
Special (gains) charges, net		0		0
Restructuring charges, net	0	0	0	0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0	0	0	0
Amortization of intangible assets	0	0	0	0
Other (income) expense, net	0	0	0	0
Operating profit	0	0	0	0
Interest income	(175)	0	(358)	0
Interest expense	3	0	3	0
Interest expense, net	(172)	0	(355)	0
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	(418)	0	(1,165)	0
Income from operations before income taxes	590	0	1,520	0
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	0	0	0	0
Net income	590	0	1,520	0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(115)	0	(287)	0
Comprehensive income	475	0	1,233	0
Subsidiary Guarantors [Member] \| CIFSA Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	0		0
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	0		0
Research and development expense	0		0
Selling, general, and administrative expense	0		0
Restructuring charges, net	0		0
Certain litigation charges	0		0
Acquisition-related items	0		0
Amortization of intangible assets	0		0
Other (income) expense, net	0		0
Operating profit	0		0
Interest income	(175)		(358)
Interest expense	3		3
Interest expense, net	(172)		(355)
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	(418)		(1,165)
Income from operations before income taxes	590		1,520
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	0		0
Net income	590		1,520
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(115)		(287)
Comprehensive income	475		1,233
Subsidiary Non-guarantors [Member] \| Medtronic Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	7,058	4,375	14,335	8,643
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	2,393	1,158	4,604	2,261
Research and development expense	440	256	864	505
Selling, general, and administrative expense	2,293	1,265	4,465	2,530
Special (gains) charges, net		0		0
Restructuring charges, net	68	(6)	135	24
Certain litigation charges	26		26
Acquisition-related items	(6)	(37)	65	4
Amortization of intangible assets	480	86	958	170
Other (income) expense, net	349	381	663	647
Operating profit	1,015	1,272	2,555	2,502
Interest income	(116)	(86)	(229)	(178)
Interest expense	103	10	209	18
Interest expense, net	(13)	(76)	(20)	(160)
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	0	0	0	0
Income from operations before income taxes	1,028	1,348	2,575	2,662
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	562	315	850	609
Net income	466	1,033	1,725	2,053
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(195)	(23)	(367)	86
Comprehensive income	271	$ 1,010	1,358	$ 2,139
Subsidiary Non-guarantors [Member] \| CIFSA Notes [Member]
Condensed Statement of Income Captions [Line Items]
Net sales	7,058		14,332
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold	2,156		4,612
Research and development expense	525		1,083
Selling, general, and administrative expense	2,334		4,688
Restructuring charges, net	73		140
Certain litigation charges	26		26
Acquisition-related items	49		120
Amortization of intangible assets	483		964
Other (income) expense, net	1		84
Operating profit	1,411		2,615
Interest income	(115)		(230)
Interest expense	623		1,239
Interest expense, net	508		1,009
Equity in net (income) loss of subsidiaries	0		0
Income from operations before income taxes	903		1,606
Provision (benefit) for income taxes	565		691
Net income	338		915
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(115)		(287)
Comprehensive income	$ 223		$ 628

The following items are included within acquisition-related items: The change in the fair value of the contingent milestone consideration for the reporting period, certain-related acquisition costs, such as banker fees, legal fees, severance, and other professional fees, and impairment losses of recently acquired in-process research and development (IPR&D).

No definition available.