S000003875 [Member] Investment Objectives and Goals - Putnam VT High Yield Fund	Dec. 31, 2025
Prospectus [Line Items]
Risk/Return [Heading]	Fund summary
Objective [Heading]	Goal
Objective, Primary [Text Block]	The fund seeks high current income.
Objective, Secondary [Text Block]	Capital growth is a secondary goal when consistent with achieving high current income.

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