Data Storage Converter

How to convert data storage units

Data is based on the byte (one byte is 8 bits). There are two families of units: decimal units (kB, MB, GB, TB) step by 1,000, while binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB) step by 1,024. Mixing the two is why a "500 GB" drive shows as about 466 GiB in your operating system.

Worked example

One GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes, while one GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes, so 1 GiB ≈ 1.074 GB. A 500 GB drive is 500 ÷ 1.073741824 = 465.66 GiB.

What is the difference between GB and GiB?

One byte equals 8 bits. Decimal: 1 kB = 1,000 B, 1 MB = 1,000,000 B, 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 B. Binary: 1 KiB = 1,024 B, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 B, 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 B. So one GiB is about 7.4% larger than one GB.

When you'll use a data converter

Data conversion is useful for file and storage sizes, bandwidth, RAM, and comparing advertised versus actual disk capacity. The table above lists your value in all 10 supported units, across both decimal and binary families.

Frequently asked questions

How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?

Using decimal units, one gigabyte equals 1,000 megabytes, because each decimal step multiplies by 1,000. In binary units, one gibibyte equals 1,024 mebibytes.

How many bytes are in a kilobyte?

A decimal kilobyte (kB) is 1,000 bytes, while a binary kibibyte (KiB) is 1,024 bytes. The two differ by 24 bytes per kilobyte.

Is a terabyte bigger than a gigabyte?

Yes. One terabyte equals 1,000 gigabytes in decimal units, so a terabyte is one thousand times larger than a gigabyte.

What is the formula to convert gigabytes to bits?

Multiply gigabytes by 8,000,000,000, since one decimal gigabyte is 1,000,000,000 bytes and each byte holds 8 bits. For example, 2 GB equals 16,000,000,000 bits.

What is a petabyte?

A petabyte (PB) is a decimal unit equal to 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes, which is 1,000 terabytes or one million gigabytes. It is used for very large data centers and archives.

How do I convert megabytes to mebibytes?

Divide the megabyte value by 1.048576, because one mebibyte (1,048,576 bytes) is larger than one megabyte (1,000,000 bytes). So 100 MB equals about 95.37 MiB.