Data Storage Converter
Convert between bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes, in both decimal (GB) and binary (GiB) units.
All units
🔒 Runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent to a server.
Digital storage sounds precise, but it hides a long-running naming mess. A “gigabyte” can mean a billion bytes or 1,073,741,824 bytes depending on who is counting, and internet speeds are sold in bits while file sizes are shown in bytes. This converter handles both systems clearly, so you know exactly how much will fit and how long a download will take.
How to use the data storage converter
- Enter a size in Value.
- Pick the starting unit and the unit you want. Decimal units are KB, MB, GB and TB. Binary units are KiB, MiB, GiB and TiB.
- The table shows the same amount in every unit, both decimal and binary.
Decimal vs. binary units
| Decimal (SI) | Bytes | Binary (IEC) | Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 KB (kilobyte) | 1,000 | 1 KiB (kibibyte) | 1,024 |
| 1 MB (megabyte) | 1,000,000 | 1 MiB (mebibyte) | 1,048,576 |
| 1 GB (gigabyte) | 1,000,000,000 | 1 GiB (gibibyte) | 1,073,741,824 |
| 1 TB (terabyte) | 10¹² | 1 TiB (tebibyte) | 1,099,511,627,776 |
The gap grows with each step: about 2.4% at the kilo level, 7.4% at giga and nearly 10% at tera.
Who uses which? Drive and memory-card makers, network speeds and macOS (since 2009) use decimal units. Windows and many programming tools use binary values but label them KB, MB and GB. RAM is almost always sized in binary amounts.
Bits vs. bytes
A bit (lowercase b) is a single 0 or 1. A byte (uppercase B) is 8 bits. Network speeds are quoted in bits per second (Mbps, Gbps), while file sizes use bytes. That is why a “500 Mbps” plan downloads at around 60 MB/s at best.
How long will a download take?
time (seconds) = file size in MB × 8 ÷ speed in MbpsA 4 GB (4,000 MB) movie on a 50 Mbps line takes about 4,000 × 8 ÷ 50 = 640 seconds, or roughly 11 minutes, in ideal conditions.
Typical file sizes
- A page of plain text: 2–5 KB
- A smartphone photo: 2–6 MB
- One minute of MP3 music: about 1 MB
- One hour of 1080p streaming video: about 3 GB
- A modern AAA video game: 50–150 GB
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 GB equal to 1,000 MB or 1,024 MB?
Both answers are in common use, which is why two units exist. In the SI decimal system used by drive makers and network speeds, 1 GB is 1,000 MB. In the binary system, 1 GiB (gibibyte) is 1,024 MiB. Windows labels binary values as "GB", which adds to the confusion.
Why does my 1 TB hard drive only show 931 GB?
The manufacturer counts 1 TB as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Windows divides by 1,024³ and labels the result "GB", so the same bytes appear as about 931 GiB. No space is missing. It is the same amount measured in a different unit.
How do I convert internet speed in Mbps to download speed in MB/s?
Divide by 8, because there are 8 bits in a byte. A 100 Mbps connection can download at most about 12.5 MB per second, and real-world speed is usually a little lower because of protocol overhead.