TWO Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Acquisition of CYS Investments, Inc. (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Jul. 31, 2018 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Dec. 31, 2018 shares	Dec. 31, 2017 shares	Dec. 31, 2016 shares
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares of stock issued during period (in shares)				30,301
Aggregate cash consideration exchanged for shares of CYS common stock \| $	$ 14,967
Cash consideration provided to CYS common stockholders (in usd per share) \| $ / shares	$ 0.0965
Exchange ratio for number of shares of Two Harbors common stock issued	0.4680
Common Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares of stock issued during period (in shares)	72,587,772	72,616,483	26,950
Series D Preferred Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares of stock issued during period (in shares)	3,000,000
Series E Preferred Stock [Member]
Class of Stock [Line Items]
Number of shares of stock issued during period (in shares)	8,000,000