πΎ Data Storage Converter
Convert between bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, PB, and binary units.
Full Conversion Table
How to Use This Converter
Enter a value, pick its unit, and the converter shows the equivalent in every other unit, decimal and binary side by side.
Enter the number to convert.
Choose the unit it is in, from bits up to petabytes, decimal (KB) or binary (KiB).
Read the table. Decimal and binary columns sit next to each other so the gap is obvious.
For download times, convert your plan's Mbps to MB/s first (divide by 8), then divide the file size.
Decimal vs Binary: The Two Kilobyte Problem
Computers think in powers of two, so early engineers defined a kilobyte as 1,024 bytes because it was close to 1,000 and convenient. Storage marketers later reclaimed "kilo" for 1,000 to make drives sound bigger, and the IEC formalized the split in 1998: KB/MB/GB are decimal, KiB/MiB/GiB are binary. The gap compounds at every step: 2.4 percent at kilo, 4.9 percent at mega, 7.4 percent at giga, 9.95 percent at tera. That last number is the entire "missing" 931 GB mystery.
Worked Example
Convert 1 TB. Decimal: 1 TB = 1,000 GB = 1,000,000 MB = 1,000,000,000 KB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes = 8,000,000,000,000 bits. In binary units that same byte count is 1,000,000,000,000 / 1,099,511,627,776 = 0.9095 TiB, or 931.32 GiB. A 100 Mbps internet plan moves 12.5 MB per second before overhead, so a 5 GB file takes about 400 seconds, roughly 7 minutes, to download.
Where This Comes Up
Buying storage (that "1 TB" SSD), reading your OS disk report, sizing backups, estimating video project storage, and decoding internet plan speeds all run through these conversions. The practical rule: when a drive maker and your computer disagree, convert the maker's decimal number into binary units and the two will match. When comparing internet speeds to download times, always divide the advertised megabits by 8 first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my 1TB drive show only 931GB?
Drive makers advertise in decimal: 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Your operating system reports in binary: 1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. Divide 1,000,000,000,000 by 1,099,511,627,776 and you get 0.9095, which is why a "1 TB" drive shows about 931 GiB (often labeled GB). No space is missing; the two sides just count differently.
What is the difference between MB and MiB?
MB (megabyte) is decimal: 1,000,000 bytes. MiB (mebibyte) is binary: 1,048,576 bytes. The IEC created the KiB/MiB/GiB names in 1998 to end the confusion, but operating systems and drive makers still mix them up, which is why the labels rarely match the math.
Bits vs bytes: what is the difference?
A bit is a single 0 or 1; a byte is 8 bits. Network speeds are sold in bits (100 Mbps), while file sizes and downloads are measured in bytes, so a 100 Mbps connection downloads at about 12.5 MB/s in theory, less after overhead. Divide bits by 8 to get bytes.
How many photos fit in 128GB?
Roughly: a 12 MP phone photo is 3 to 5 MB, so 128 GB holds about 25,000 to 40,000 photos. An hour of 4K video at typical bitrates is 20 to 45 GB, so the same 128 GB holds 3 to 6 hours of 4K footage. Use this converter to translate your camera's file sizes into real capacity.
Is 1000 or 1024 correct for a kilobyte?
Both, in different contexts. SI decimal: 1 KB = 1,000 bytes (used by drive makers and network engineers). Binary: 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes (used by operating systems and RAM makers). Neither is wrong; the trouble starts when one side's kilobyte meets the other side's.