Federer, playing in his 30th Grand Slam final, joined Novak Djokovic and Australian great Roy Emerson as joint top for the most Australian Open men's titles.
He added to his already imposing win-loss record in Melbourne and is now 94-13. His overall his Grand Slam mark stands at 332-52.
Federer beat Marin Cilic of Croatia 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to win his third major title at 36.