Data Storage Converter
Convert bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes.
Conversion sheet
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Drive sizes, download estimates, and bandwidth math all hinge on bytes, but the units stack in 1024s, not 1000s — which is why a '1 TB' drive never shows a full terabyte in your operating system. This converter uses the binary multiples that storage actually works in.
How it works
Sizes convert through bytes, using binary (1024-based) multiples.
Each step up multiplies by 1024, not 1000: 1 kilobyte is 1024 bytes, 1 megabyte is 1024 kilobytes, and so on. This binary convention (what some call kibibytes and mebibytes) is how most operating systems report file and drive sizes.
Bits are also included for bandwidth work. One byte is 8 bits, so a connection rated at megabits per second moves data 8 times slower in megabytes per second — a 100 Mbps link tops out around 12.5 MB/s.
Result = (value × bytes-per-source-unit) ÷ bytes-per-target-unit, with each unit 1024× the one below it.
Worked examples
Convert 1 gigabyte to megabytes. → 1024 megabytes
1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes, divided by 1,048,576 bytes per MB = 1024 MB.
Convert 2 terabytes to gigabytes. → 2048 gigabytes
Each step is 1024×, so 2 TB = 2 × 1024 = 2048 GB.
Tips & gotchas
- Drive makers advertise in decimal (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes) while your OS counts in binary, so a '1 TB' drive shows about 931 GB. That gap is normal, not a defect.
- Convert megabits to megabytes by dividing by 8. An ISP's '300 Mbps' is about 37.5 MB/s at best.
- When estimating backup time, work in bytes consistently — mixing bits and bytes is the usual source of wildly wrong estimates.
- For a 50 GB game on a 100 Mbps line, expect at least an hour: 50 GB is 400 gigabits, divided by 0.1 gigabits/s is 4000 seconds.
FAQ
Why does my '1 TB' drive show only about 931 GB?
Manufacturers count a terabyte as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (decimal), but your OS counts in binary (1024-based). The same bytes simply display as fewer binary gigabytes.
What's the difference between a megabit and a megabyte?
A byte is 8 bits, so a megabyte is 8 megabits. Internet speeds are usually in megabits (Mbps); file sizes are in megabytes (MB). Divide Mbps by 8 to get MB/s.
Does this converter use 1000 or 1024 per step?
1024, the binary convention, because that's how operating systems report sizes. If you need decimal (marketing) units, expect roughly a 7% difference at the gigabyte level.
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