Digital Storage Converter●
Bits, bytes and the space between. Convert file sizes with clear decimal and binary units.
Digital storage
1 byte = 8 bits. Decimal: kB, MB, GB (×1,000). Binary: KiB, MiB, GiB (×1,024).
Definitions: NIST binary prefixes ↗Use a decimal point, for example 2.54. Scientific notation works too: 1e3.
Common conversions
Pick an example to startAll equivalent units
The same value, in every supported unit.
Bits, bytes & two ways to count.
Use decimal units for powers of 1,000 and binary units for powers of 1,024. This converter measures data size; transfer rates such as Mbps and MB/s need a separate tool.
- 1 byte
- 8 bits
- 1 kB
- 1,000 bytes
- 1 KiB
- 1,024 bytes
Calculation details & precision
A byte is 8 bits. Decimal prefixes use powers of 1,000: 1 kB = 1,000 B and 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 B. Binary prefixes use powers of 1,024: 1 KiB = 1,024 B and 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 B. Calculations use bytes as the base unit.
Automatic displays up to 12 significant digits. Choose 2, 4 or 6 decimal places in Precision for a shorter result. Displayed results are rounded; very large or small values use scientific notation.
Common questions
What is the difference between a bit and a byte?
One byte contains 8 bits. The uppercase B means byte. Bit multiples here use the explicit suffix “bit”, such as Mbit, to avoid confusing them with MB.
Is a megabyte 1,000 or 1,024 kilobytes?
One megabyte (MB) is 1,000 kilobytes (kB), or 1,000,000 bytes. One mebibyte (MiB) is 1,024 kibibytes (KiB), or 1,048,576 bytes. Decimal and binary prefixes are separate units.
Why can a 1 TB drive appear to have about 931 GiB?
One decimal terabyte contains 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, equivalent to approximately 931.322575 GiB. Some software reports binary quantities using decimal labels. Formatting and reserved storage can also reduce usable capacity.
Can I convert Mbps to MB/s here?
This tool converts quantities of data, not data per second. Mbps is megabits per second, while MB/s is megabytes per second. Transfer rates need a separate converter.