Data Storage Converter
Convert bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB and PB, in both decimal (1,000) and binary (1,024) units. Enter a value and see the result in every unit at once.
How to use the Data Storage Converter
- Type a value and choose the unit you have under "From" and the unit you want under "To".
- Leave the box unticked to use 1,000 per step (as drive makers and networks do), or tick it to use 1,024 per step (as many versions of Windows do). The KiB, MiB and GiB units always use 1,024.
- Read the result, and check the table below it to see the same size in every unit, in both systems.
Data storage units
| Decimal (SI) unit | Bytes | Binary unit | Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kilobyte (KB) | 1,000 | Kibibyte (KiB) | 1,024 |
| Megabyte (MB) | 1,000,000 | Mebibyte (MiB) | 1,048,576 |
| Gigabyte (GB) | 1,000,000,000 | Gibibyte (GiB) | 1,073,741,824 |
| Terabyte (TB) | 1,000,000,000,000 | Tebibyte (TiB) | 1,099,511,627,776 |
| Petabyte (PB) | 1015 | Pebibyte (PiB) | 1,125,899,906,842,624 |
One byte is 8 bits. A bit is the smallest unit of data, a single 0 or 1.
Decimal or binary: why are there two systems?
Computers count in powers of 2, so early software treated 1 KB as 1,024 bytes. Storage makers and the metric system use 1,000. To remove the confusion, the names kibibyte (KiB), mebibyte (MiB) and gibibyte (GiB) were introduced for the 1,024 versions, while KB, MB and GB officially mean 1,000-based units. In everyday use the two meanings are still mixed.
This is why a drive sold as 1 TB shows about 931 GB in an operating system that counts in 1,024s: 1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 931.32 GiB. Nothing is missing. The same number of bytes is just being counted with a different unit.
Bits and bytes: MB or Mb?
A lowercase b means bits and an uppercase B means bytes, so 1 MB (megabyte) is 8 Mb (megabits). Internet speeds are usually quoted in megabits per second (Mbps), while file sizes are shown in megabytes. To estimate a download speed in megabytes, divide the megabit figure by 8: a 100 Mbps connection moves about 12.5 MB per second, so a 1 GB file takes roughly 80 seconds, if the connection runs at full speed.
Frequently asked questions
How many MB are in a GB?
There are 1,000 MB in 1 GB using decimal units, and 1,024 MiB in 1 GiB using binary units. Use the checkbox above to switch KB, MB and GB between the two.
How many bytes are in a KB, MB and GB?
In decimal units, 1 KB is 1,000 bytes, 1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes and 1 GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes. In binary units, 1 KiB is 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB is 1,048,576 bytes and 1 GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes.
What is the difference between MB and Mb?
MB means megabytes and Mb means megabits. One byte has 8 bits, so 1 MB equals 8 Mb. Internet speeds use megabits, and file sizes usually use megabytes.
Why does my hard drive show less space than advertised?
Drive makers count 1 TB as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, but some operating systems divide by 1,024 three times and still label the result GB. A 1 TB drive therefore shows as about 931 GB.
What is a kibibyte, mebibyte or gibibyte?
These are the standard names for the 1,024-based units: KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB and PiB. They make it clear that you mean 1,024 and not 1,000.
Is my data uploaded or stored?
No. The converter is free and everything runs in your browser. The values you enter are never uploaded to a server or stored.