Data Storage Converter

The Data Storage Converter turns any amount of digital data into every other unit at once: bits and bytes, in both the decimal units (kB, MB, GB, TB) and the binary ones (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB).

Two things decide almost every conversion:

• A byte is 8 bits. File sizes and storage are counted in bytes (B), and internet and network speeds in bits (b): a 100 Mbit/s connection moves at most 12.5 MB each second.
• Decimal units step by 1,000 and binary units by 1,024. A kilobyte (kB) is 1,000 bytes, and a kibibyte (KiB) is 1,024 bytes.

How to convert data units

Type a value into any field, and every other unit is calculated at once. For example, a hard drive sold as 1 TB:

1. In gigabytes: multiply by 1,000.

   1 TB = 1,000 GB

2. In gibibytes, as Windows shows it: divide the bytes by 1,024 three times.

   1,000,000,000,000 / 1,024 / 1,024 / 1,024 = 931.3 GiB

And a 4.7 GB file downloads over a 100 Mbit/s connection in at least 4.7 × 8,000 / 100 = 376 seconds, about 6 minutes, since 1 GB is 8,000 Mbit.

Common conversions

Data storage units

Bits

• Bit (bit): The basic unit of digital information that can represent either a 0 or a 1.
  Conversion: 1 bit = 1/8 byte

• Kilobit (kbit): Equal to 1,000 bits, or 10^3 bits.
  Conversion: 1 kilobit = 1,000 bits = 1/8 kilobyte

• Kibibit (Kibit): Represents 1,024 bits, or 2^10 bits.
  Conversion: 1 kibibit = 1,024 bits = 1/8 kibibyte

• Megabit (Mbit): Equivalent to 1 million bits, or 10^6 bits.
  Conversion: 1 megabit = 1,000 kilobits = 1,000,000 bits = 1/8 megabyte

• Mebibit (Mibit): Represents 1,048,576 bits, or 2^20 bits.
  Conversion: 1 mebibit = 1,024 kibibits = 1,048,576 bits = 1/8 mebibyte

• Gigabit (Gbit): Equal to 1 billion bits, or 10^9 bits.
  Conversion: 1 gigabit = 1,000 megabits = 1,000,000 kilobits = 1,000,000,000 bits = 1/8 gigabyte

• Gibibit (Gibit): Represents 1,073,741,824 bits, or 2^30 bits.
  Conversion: 1 gibibit = 1,024 mebibits = 1,048,576 kibibits = 1,073,741,824 bits = 1/8 gibibyte

• Terabit (Tbit): Equivalent to 1 trillion bits, or 10^12 bits.
  Conversion: 1 terabit = 1,000 gigabits = 1,000,000 megabits = 1,000,000,000 kilobits = 1,000,000,000,000 bits = 1/8 terabyte

• Tebibit (Tibit): Represents 1,099,511,627,776 bits, or 2^40 bits.
  Conversion: 1 tebibit = 1,024 gibibits = 1,048,576 mebibits = 1,073,741,824 kibibits = 1,099,511,627,776 bits = 1/8 tebibyte

Bytes

• Byte (B): The fundamental unit of data storage that consists of 8 bits.
  Conversion: 1 byte = 8 bits

• Kilobyte (kB): Corresponds to 1,000 bytes, or 10^3 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 kB = 1,000 bytes

• Kibibyte (KiB): Represents 1,024 bytes, or 2^10 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes

• Megabyte (MB): Equivalent to 1 million bytes, or 10^6 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 MB = 1,000 kilobytes = 1,000,000 bytes

• Mebibyte (MiB): Represents 1,048,576 bytes, or 2^20 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 MiB = 1,024 kibibytes = 1,048,576 bytes

• Gigabyte (GB): Equal to 1 billion bytes, or 10^9 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 GB = 1,000 megabytes = 1,000,000 kilobytes = 1,000,000,000 bytes

• Gibibyte (GiB): Represents 1,073,741,824 bytes, or 2^30 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 GiB = 1,024 mebibytes = 1,048,576 kibibytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes

• Terabyte (TB): Equivalent to 1 trillion bytes, or 10^12 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 TB = 1,000 gigabytes = 1,000,000 megabytes = 1,000,000,000 kilobytes = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes

• Tebibyte (TiB): Represents 1,099,511,627,776 bytes, or 2^40 bytes.
  Conversion: 1 TiB = 1,024 gibibytes = 1,048,576 mebibytes = 1,073,741,824 kibibytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

Binary vs. Decimal Bytes

In binary measurements, each higher unit is 1,024 times larger than the previous unit. For example, 1 KiB is 1,024 bytes (2^10), and 1 MiB is 1,048,576 bytes (2^20).

In decimal measurements, each higher unit is 1,000 times larger than the previous unit. For instance, 1 kB is 1,000 bytes (10^3), and 1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes (10^6).

Drive and memory card makers, network speeds and macOS use the decimal units. Windows counts in the binary units but labels them KB, MB and GB, which is why a drive sold as 1 TB shows up in Windows as about 931 GB.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my 1 TB drive show 931 GB?

The drive maker counts a terabyte as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, while Windows divides by 1,024 at each step and shows the result as "GB". The space is all there: 1 TB is 931.3 GiB.

Is a megabit the same as a megabyte?

No. A megabyte is 8 megabits. Internet speeds are in megabits per second (Mbit/s, Mbps), so divide by 8 to get megabytes per second.