Vanguard Explorer Fd (VEXPX) N-CSR 3 Jan 25 Certified annual shareholder report (management investment company) Financial data

Form N-CSR Cover

Form N-CSR Cover	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2024
Shareholder Report [Line Items]
Document Type	N-CSR
Amendment Flag	false
Registrant Name	Vanguard Explorer Fund
Entity Central Index Key	0000034066
Entity Investment Company Type	N-1A
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2024

Shareholder Report

Shareholder Report	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2024 USD ($) Holding
Shareholder Report [Line Items]
Document Type	N-CSR
Amendment Flag	false
Registrant Name	Vanguard Explorer Fund
Entity Central Index Key	0000034066
Entity Investment Company Type	N-1A
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2024
C000007082
Shareholder Report [Line Items]
Fund Name	Explorer™ Fund
Class Name	Admiral™ Shares
Trading Symbol	VEXRX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block]	This annual shareholder report contains important information about Vanguard Explorer Fund (the "Fund") for the period of November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual	Annual Shareholder Report
Additional Information [Text Block]	You can find additional information about the Fund at https://personal1.vanguard.com/ngf-next-gen-form-webapp/fund-literature. You can also request this information by contacting us at 800-662-7447.
Additional Information Phone Number	800-662-7447
Additional Information Website	https://personal1.vanguard.com/ngf-next-gen-form-webapp/fund-literature
Expenses [Text Block]	What were the Fund costs for the last year? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment) Share Class Name Costs of a $10,000 investment Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment Admiral Shares $38 0.33%
Expenses Paid, Amount	$ 38
Expense Ratio, Percent	0.33%
Factors Affecting Performance [Text Block]	How did the Fund perform during the reporting period? For the 12 months ended October 31, 2024, the Fund underperformed the Russell 2500 Growth Index, its expense-free benchmark. U.S. economic growth hovered around 3% on a year-over-year basis during the period, quelling recession fears. The Federal Reserve embarked on a rate-cutting cycle toward the end of the period, and the year-over-year rate of consumer price inflation eased to around 2.5%. U.S. stocks posted very strong returns. Growth stocks outperformed their value counterparts, large-capitalization stocks outpaced small- and mid-caps, and U.S. stocks outpaced their non-U.S. counterparts. Of the Fund’s 11 industry sectors, only financials, consumer staples, and energy produced positive results relative to the Fund’s benchmark. Health care, consumer discretionary, information technology, and real estate detracted the most from relative Fund performance.
Line Graph [Table Text Block]	Admiral Shares Russell 2500 Growth Index Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index 2014 $50,000 $50,000 $50,000 2015 $49,512 $50,685 $49,778 2015 $53,385 $54,157 $52,364 2015 $53,988 $56,305 $53,051 2015 $49,760 $52,085 $52,202 2016 $44,414 $46,301 $48,507 2016 $49,011 $50,496 $52,220 2016 $52,464 $54,418 $55,380 2016 $51,052 $52,084 $54,399 2017 $56,607 $57,716 $59,045 2017 $59,383 $60,958 $61,913 2017 $61,749 $63,207 $64,311 2017 $64,964 $67,746 $67,432 2018 $70,925 $73,672 $73,900 2018 $70,711 $71,382 $70,001 2018 $77,180 $77,229 $74,878 2018 $72,916 $71,484 $71,855 2019 $73,581 $72,662 $72,183 2019 $80,786 $79,962 $78,810 2019 $82,188 $81,714 $80,048 2019 $80,403 $79,898 $81,479 2020 $85,391 $86,226 $86,890 2020 $74,236 $76,737 $77,877 2020 $89,294 $92,680 $88,692 2020 $91,830 $97,242 $89,617 2021 $116,040 $124,371 $104,742 2021 $127,587 $128,354 $117,603 2021 $130,104 $128,638 $123,216 2021 $134,462 $133,343 $129,113 2022 $119,243 $110,325 $124,115 2022 $109,033 $98,727 $113,649 2022 $108,609 $99,894 $113,627 2022 $103,533 $96,833 $107,236 2023 $112,620 $103,167 $113,667 2023 $107,545 $98,655 $115,099 2023 $118,177 $109,877 $127,968 2023 $101,213 $92,182 $116,237 2024 $120,025 $109,010 $135,428 2024 $123,285 $112,004 $140,906 2024 $132,461 $122,981 $154,975 2024 $133,362 $123,713 $160,401
Average Annual Return [Table Text Block]	1 Year 5 Years 10 Years Admiral Shares 31.76% 10.65% 10.31% Russell 2500 Growth Index 34.21% 9.14% 9.48% Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index 37.99% 14.51% 12.36%
AssetsNet	$ 21,980,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding	734
Advisory Fees Paid, Amount	$ 41,929,000
InvestmentCompanyPortfolioTurnover	35%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]	Fund Statistics (as of October 31, 2024 Fund Net Assets (in millions) $21,980 Number of Portfolio Holdings 734 Portfolio Turnover Rate 35% Total Investment Advisory Fees (in thousands) $41,929
Holdings [Text Block]	This table reflects the Fund's investments, including short-term investments, derivatives and other assets and liabilities. Portfolio Composition % of Net Assets (as of October 31, 2024 Communication Services 3.7% Consumer Discretionary 9.9% Consumer Staples 3.0% Energy 4.2% Financials 11.6% Health Care 19.7% Industrials 20.7% Information Technology 17.0% Materials 3.2% Other 0.9% Real Estate 3.2% Utilities 0.6% Other Assets and Liabilities—Net 2.3%
Material Fund Change [Text Block]
Updated Prospectus Web Address	https://personal1.vanguard.com/ngf-next-gen-form-webapp/fund-literature
C000007081
Shareholder Report [Line Items]
Fund Name	Explorer™ Fund
Class Name	Investor Shares
Trading Symbol	VEXPX
Annual or Semi-Annual Statement [Text Block]	This annual shareholder report contains important information about Vanguard Explorer Fund (the "Fund") for the period of November 1, 2023, to October 31, 2024.
Shareholder Report Annual or Semi-Annual	Annual Shareholder Report
Additional Information [Text Block]	You can find additional information about the Fund at https://personal1.vanguard.com/ngf-next-gen-form-webapp/fund-literature. You can also request this information by contacting us at 800-662-7447.
Additional Information Phone Number	800-662-7447
Additional Information Website	https://personal1.vanguard.com/ngf-next-gen-form-webapp/fund-literature
Expenses [Text Block]	What were the Fund costs for the last year? (based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment) Share Class Name Costs of a $10,000 investment Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment Investor Shares $51 0.44%
Expenses Paid, Amount	$ 51
Expense Ratio, Percent	0.44%
Factors Affecting Performance [Text Block]	How did the Fund perform during the reporting period? For the 12 months ended October 31, 2024, the Fund underperformed the Russell 2500 Growth Index, its expense-free benchmark. U.S. economic growth hovered around 3% on a year-over-year basis during the period, quelling recession fears. The Federal Reserve embarked on a rate-cutting cycle toward the end of the period, and the year-over-year rate of consumer price inflation eased to around 2.5%. U.S. stocks posted very strong returns. Growth stocks outperformed their value counterparts, large-capitalization stocks outpaced small- and mid-caps, and U.S. stocks outpaced their non-U.S. counterparts. Of the Fund’s 11 industry sectors, only financials, consumer staples, and energy produced positive results relative to the Fund’s benchmark. Health care, consumer discretionary, information technology, and real estate detracted the most from relative Fund performance.
Line Graph [Table Text Block]	Investor Shares Russell 2500 Growth Index Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index 2014 $10,000 $10,000 $10,000 2015 $9,899 $10,137 $9,956 2015 $10,670 $10,831 $10,473 2015 $10,786 $11,261 $10,610 2015 $9,938 $10,417 $10,440 2016 $8,868 $9,260 $9,701 2016 $9,783 $10,099 $10,444 2016 $10,467 $10,884 $11,076 2016 $10,183 $10,417 $10,880 2017 $11,288 $11,543 $11,809 2017 $11,838 $12,192 $12,383 2017 $12,306 $12,641 $12,862 2017 $12,943 $13,549 $13,486 2018 $14,127 $14,734 $14,780 2018 $14,081 $14,276 $14,000 2018 $15,364 $15,446 $14,976 2018 $14,511 $14,297 $14,371 2019 $14,639 $14,532 $14,437 2019 $16,067 $15,992 $15,762 2019 $16,342 $16,343 $16,010 2019 $15,983 $15,980 $16,296 2020 $16,970 $17,245 $17,378 2020 $14,749 $15,347 $15,575 2020 $17,736 $18,536 $17,738 2020 $18,234 $19,448 $17,923 2021 $23,036 $24,874 $20,948 2021 $25,320 $25,671 $23,521 2021 $25,813 $25,728 $24,643 2021 $26,671 $26,669 $25,823 2022 $23,646 $22,065 $24,823 2022 $21,612 $19,745 $22,730 2022 $21,525 $19,979 $22,725 2022 $20,511 $19,367 $21,447 2023 $22,306 $20,633 $22,733 2023 $21,296 $19,731 $23,020 2023 $23,394 $21,975 $25,594 2023 $20,033 $18,436 $23,247 2024 $23,747 $21,802 $27,086 2024 $24,384 $22,401 $28,181 2024 $26,194 $24,596 $30,995 2024 $26,364 $24,743 $32,080
Average Annual Return [Table Text Block]	1 Year 5 Years 10 Years Investor Shares 31.61% 10.53% 10.18% Russell 2500 Growth Index 34.21% 9.14% 9.48% Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index 37.99% 14.51% 12.36%
AssetsNet	$ 21,980,000,000
Holdings Count | Holding	734
Advisory Fees Paid, Amount	$ 41,929,000
InvestmentCompanyPortfolioTurnover	35%
Additional Fund Statistics [Text Block]	Fund Statistics (as of October 31, 2024 Fund Net Assets (in millions) $21,980 Number of Portfolio Holdings 734 Portfolio Turnover Rate 35% Total Investment Advisory Fees (in thousands) $41,929
Holdings [Text Block]	This table reflects the Fund's investments, including short-term investments, derivatives and other assets and liabilities. Portfolio Composition % of Net Assets (as of October 31, 2024 Communication Services 3.7% Consumer Discretionary 9.9% Consumer Staples 3.0% Energy 4.2% Financials 11.6% Health Care 19.7% Industrials 20.7% Information Technology 17.0% Materials 3.2% Other 0.9% Real Estate 3.2% Utilities 0.6% Other Assets and Liabilities—Net 2.3%
Material Fund Change [Text Block]
Updated Prospectus Web Address	https://personal1.vanguard.com/ngf-next-gen-form-webapp/fund-literature

Shareholder Report, Line Graph

Shareholder Report, Line Graph (Details) - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2024	Jul. 31, 2024	Apr. 30, 2024	Jan. 31, 2024	Oct. 31, 2023	Jul. 31, 2023	Apr. 30, 2023	Jan. 31, 2023	Oct. 31, 2022	Jul. 31, 2022	Apr. 30, 2022	Jan. 31, 2022	Oct. 31, 2021	Jul. 31, 2021	Apr. 30, 2021	Jan. 31, 2021	Oct. 31, 2020	Jul. 31, 2020	Apr. 30, 2020	Jan. 31, 2020	Oct. 31, 2019	Jul. 31, 2019	Apr. 30, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Oct. 31, 2018	Jul. 31, 2018	Apr. 30, 2018	Jan. 31, 2018	Oct. 31, 2017	Jul. 31, 2017	Apr. 30, 2017	Jan. 31, 2017	Oct. 31, 2016	Jul. 31, 2016	Apr. 30, 2016	Jan. 31, 2016	Oct. 31, 2015	Jul. 31, 2015	Apr. 30, 2015	Jan. 31, 2015	Oct. 31, 2014
C000007082
Account Value [Line Items]
Account Value	$ 133,362	$ 132,461	$ 123,285	$ 120,025	$ 101,213	$ 118,177	$ 107,545	$ 112,620	$ 103,533	$ 108,609	$ 109,033	$ 119,243	$ 134,462	$ 130,104	$ 127,587	$ 116,040	$ 91,830	$ 89,294	$ 74,236	$ 85,391	$ 80,403	$ 82,188	$ 80,786	$ 73,581	$ 72,916	$ 77,180	$ 70,711	$ 70,925	$ 64,964	$ 61,749	$ 59,383	$ 56,607	$ 51,052	$ 52,464	$ 49,011	$ 44,414	$ 49,760	$ 53,988	$ 53,385	$ 49,512	$ 50,000
C000007081
Account Value [Line Items]
Line Graph and Table Measure Name	Investor Shares
Account Value	$ 26,364	26,194	24,384	23,747	20,033	23,394	21,296	22,306	20,511	21,525	21,612	23,646	26,671	25,813	25,320	23,036	18,234	17,736	14,749	16,970	15,983	16,342	16,067	14,639	14,511	15,364	14,081	14,127	12,943	12,306	11,838	11,288	10,183	10,467	9,783	8,868	9,938	10,786	10,670	9,899	10,000
NACC2 Index: Russell 2500 Growth Index
Account Value [Line Items]
Account Value	$ 123,713	122,981	112,004	109,010	92,182	109,877	98,655	103,167	96,833	99,894	98,727	110,325	133,343	128,638	128,354	124,371	97,242	92,680	76,737	86,226	79,898	81,714	79,962	72,662	71,484	77,229	71,382	73,672	67,746	63,207	60,958	57,716	52,084	54,418	50,496	46,301	52,085	56,305	54,157	50,685	50,000
NACC2 Index: Russell 2500 Growth Index
Account Value [Line Items]
Line Graph and Table Measure Name	Russell 2500 Growth Index
Account Value	$ 24,743	24,596	22,401	21,802	18,436	21,975	19,731	20,633	19,367	19,979	19,745	22,065	26,669	25,728	25,671	24,874	19,448	18,536	15,347	17,245	15,980	16,343	15,992	14,532	14,297	15,446	14,276	14,734	13,549	12,641	12,192	11,543	10,417	10,884	10,099	9,260	10,417	11,261	10,831	10,137	10,000
NACC2 Index: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index
Account Value [Line Items]
Account Value	$ 160,401	154,975	140,906	135,428	116,237	127,968	115,099	113,667	107,236	113,627	113,649	124,115	129,113	123,216	117,603	104,742	89,617	88,692	77,877	86,890	81,479	80,048	78,810	72,183	71,855	74,878	70,001	73,900	67,432	64,311	61,913	59,045	54,399	55,380	52,220	48,507	52,202	53,051	52,364	49,778	50,000
NACC2 Index: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index
Account Value [Line Items]
Line Graph and Table Measure Name	Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index
Account Value	$ 32,080	$ 30,995	$ 28,181	$ 27,086	$ 23,247	$ 25,594	$ 23,020	$ 22,733	$ 21,447	$ 22,725	$ 22,730	$ 24,823	$ 25,823	$ 24,643	$ 23,521	$ 20,948	$ 17,923	$ 17,738	$ 15,575	$ 17,378	$ 16,296	$ 16,010	$ 15,762	$ 14,437	$ 14,371	$ 14,976	$ 14,000	$ 14,780	$ 13,486	$ 12,862	$ 12,383	$ 11,809	$ 10,880	$ 11,076	$ 10,444	$ 9,701	$ 10,440	$ 10,610	$ 10,473	$ 9,956	$ 10,000

Shareholder Report, Average Ann

Shareholder Report, Average Annual Return (Details)	12 Months Ended	60 Months Ended	120 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2024	Oct. 31, 2024	Oct. 31, 2024
C000007081
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Line Graph and Table Measure Name	Investor Shares
Without Sales Load [Member] | C000007082
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Average Annual Return, Percent	31.76%	10.65%	10.31%
Without Sales Load [Member] | C000007081
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Average Annual Return, Percent	31.61%	10.53%	10.18%
NACC2 Index: Russell 2500 Growth Index
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Average Annual Return, Percent	34.21%	9.14%	9.48%
NACC2 Index: Russell 2500 Growth Index
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Line Graph and Table Measure Name	Russell 2500 Growth Index
Average Annual Return, Percent	34.21%	9.14%	9.48%
NACC2 Index: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Average Annual Return, Percent	37.99%	14.51%	12.36%
NACC2 Index: Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index
Average Annual Return [Line Items]
Line Graph and Table Measure Name	Dow Jones U.S. Total Stock Market Float Adjusted Index
Average Annual Return, Percent	37.99%	14.51%	12.36%

Shareholder Report, Holdings (D

Shareholder Report, Holdings (Details)	Oct. 31, 2024
C000007082 | Sector Other Line
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	2.30%
C000007082 | SectorCommunication Services
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3.70%
C000007082 | SectorConsumer Discretionary
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	9.90%
C000007082 | SectorConsumer Staples
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3%
C000007082 | SectorEnergy
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	4.20%
C000007082 | SectorFinancials
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	11.60%
C000007082 | SectorHealth Care
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	19.70%
C000007082 | SectorIndustrials
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	20.70%
C000007082 | SectorInformation Technology
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	17%
C000007082 | SectorMaterials
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3.20%
C000007082 | SectorOther
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	0.90%
C000007082 | SectorReal Estate
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3.20%
C000007082 | SectorUtilities
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	0.60%
C000007081 | Sector Other Line
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	2.30%
C000007081 | SectorCommunication Services
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3.70%
C000007081 | SectorConsumer Discretionary
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	9.90%
C000007081 | SectorConsumer Staples
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3%
C000007081 | SectorEnergy
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	4.20%
C000007081 | SectorFinancials
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	11.60%
C000007081 | SectorHealth Care
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	19.70%
C000007081 | SectorIndustrials
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	20.70%
C000007081 | SectorInformation Technology
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	17%
C000007081 | SectorMaterials
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3.20%
C000007081 | SectorOther
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	0.90%
C000007081 | SectorReal Estate
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	3.20%
C000007081 | SectorUtilities
Holdings [Line Items]
Percent of Net Asset Value	0.60%