Convert Storage Units
Convert between different data storage units including bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, and more.
About Data Storage Units
Common Units
- Byte (B): Basic unit of digital information
- Kilobyte (KB): 1,024 bytes
- Megabyte (MB): 1,024 kilobytes
- Gigabyte (GB): 1,024 megabytes
- Terabyte (TB): 1,024 gigabytes
Binary vs Decimal
This calculator uses binary prefixes (powers of 2):
- 1 KB = 1,024 bytes
- 1 MB = 1,024 KB
- 1 GB = 1,024 MB
- 1 TB = 1,024 GB
Common Uses
- File size calculations
- Storage capacity planning
- System requirements
- Data transfer rates
What a Data Storage Converter Does
A data storage converter changes a value from one digital storage unit into another, such as turning gigabytes into megabytes or bytes into bits. Storage is built from two base units. A bit is the smallest unit and holds a single 0 or 1. A byte is 8 bits and is the standard building block for files, memory and disk space.
Larger units stack on top of the byte: kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), terabyte (TB) and petabyte (PB). The tricky part is that the same names are used for two different counting systems, which is why a 1 TB drive never shows exactly 1 TB free in your operating system. A converter removes the guesswork so you can compare file sizes, drive capacity and bandwidth caps accurately.
- Bit (b): a single binary digit.
- Byte (B): 8 bits.
- KB, MB, GB, TB, PB: increasingly large multiples of the byte.
Binary (1024) vs Decimal (1000) and KB vs KiB
There are two ways to scale up from a byte. The decimal (SI) system multiplies by 1,000 at each step, so 1 KB = 1,000 bytes. The binary system multiplies by 1,024 (2 to the power of 10), so 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes. To avoid confusion, the IEC introduced separate binary prefixes: KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB and PiB (kibibyte, mebibyte, and so on).
In practice, storage and drive makers usually advertise capacity in decimal units (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), while operating systems like Windows often report space using binary math but still label it "GB". That mismatch is why a drive sold as 1 TB shows roughly 931 GiB of usable space. The numbers are correct; only the units differ.
| Unit | Decimal (1000) | Binary (1024) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 KB / KiB | 1,000 bytes | 1,024 bytes |
| 1 MB / MiB | 1,000,000 bytes | 1,048,576 bytes |
| 1 GB / GiB | 1,000,000,000 bytes | 1,073,741,824 bytes |
| 1 TB / TiB | 10^12 bytes | 1,099,511,627,776 bytes |
When you convert, always confirm which system is intended. For network speeds and marketed drive sizes, decimal is common. For RAM and many OS displays, binary is the norm.
Conversion Formulas and Worked Examples
The core relationships are simple once you fix a base. To go from a larger unit to a smaller one, multiply; to go the other way, divide.
- Bytes to bits: multiply by 8.
- Bits to bytes: divide by 8.
- Decimal step: × or ÷ 1,000 per level.
- Binary step: × or ÷ 1,024 per level.
For example, a 500 MB (decimal) file equals 500 × 1,000,000 = 500,000,000 bytes, or 4,000,000,000 bits. A 2 GiB memory module equals 2 × 1,073,741,824 = 2,147,483,648 bytes.
| From | To | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 8 bits | bytes | 1 byte |
| 1 GB (decimal) | MB | 1,000 MB |
| 1 TB (decimal) | GiB (binary) | ~931 GiB |
| 1 PB (decimal) | TB | 1,000 TB |
These conversions are essential when comparing internet plans (often billed in megabits, Mb), file downloads (measured in megabytes, MB), and storage purchases. Mixing bits and bytes is the most common mistake: a 100 Mbps connection delivers at most about 12.5 MB per second, not 100 MB.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the system. In the decimal (SI) system a kilobyte is 1,000 bytes. In the binary system used by many operating systems, the equivalent is a kibibyte (KiB) at 1,024 bytes. The label "KB" is sometimes used loosely for both.
Drive makers advertise capacity in decimal terabytes (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), but Windows reports space using binary math. So 1 decimal TB equals about 931 binary GiB, which Windows displays as roughly 931 GB. No space is missing; only the counting unit differs.
One byte equals 8 bits. To convert bytes to bits, multiply by 8; to convert bits to bytes, divide by 8. This is why network speeds in megabits (Mb) deliver about one-eighth the throughput in megabytes (MB).
A megabyte (MB) is 1,000,000 bytes in the decimal system. A mebibyte (MiB) is 1,048,576 bytes in the binary system. They are close but not identical, and the gap grows at larger scales like GB versus GiB.
From smallest to largest: bit, byte, kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), terabyte (TB) and petabyte (PB). Each step up is 1,000 times larger in decimal or 1,024 times larger in binary.
Use decimal for marketed drive sizes and network speeds, since that is how they are advertised. Use binary (KiB, MiB, GiB) for RAM and when matching what your operating system reports. Always confirm which system your source uses before converting.