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Data Storage Converter

How do I convert data units?

How it is calculated

The tool converts through bytes using binary multiples: 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 KiB = 1,024 B, 1 MiB = 1,024 KiB = 1,048,576 B, 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 B and 1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 B. Your value is multiplied by the factor of its unit to get bytes, then divided by the factor of each target unit, giving all six units at once with two decimals, and more digits below 1.

These binary names (kibi, mebi, gibi, tebi) come from NIST and IEC 80000-13; many operating systems show the same sizes as KB, MB and GB. Drive makers use decimal units, where 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 B, so a drive sold as 500 GB shows less in an operating system that counts in binary.

Worked example

Convert 2 GiB. In bytes this is 2 × 1,073,741,824 = 2,147,483,648 B. Divide by 1,024 for KiB: 2,097,152 KiB, and again for MiB: 2,048 MiB. In bits it is 2,147,483,648 × 8, which the tool shows as 17,179,869,184.00 bit. In tebibytes it is only 0.001953 TiB.

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Common mistakes

  • Confusing bits and bytes: internet speeds are in megabits per second, file sizes in megabytes, and a megabyte is 8 megabits.
  • Dividing by 1,000 instead of 1,024 and wondering why the tool shows other values than a manufacturer: KiB, MiB and GiB are 1,024-based, while kB, MB and GB on a drive label are 1,000-based.
  • Expecting a drive sold as 1 TB to show 1 TB in the system; binary counting makes it appear smaller.

Sources

About this calculator

This converter moves a data size between bits, bytes, kibibytes (KiB), mebibytes (MiB), gibibytes (GiB) and tebibytes (TiB), using the binary steps where 1 KiB = 1024 bytes (the units NIST and IEC 80000-13 name this way, and the steps Windows uses when it reports file and disk sizes under the labels KB, MB and GB, where macOS and many Linux file managers report decimal instead) rather than the decimal 1000-byte kilobyte used in some marketing contexts. That distinction is exactly why a drive labeled "1 TB" shows up as roughly 931 GB in your file explorer — the manufacturer used decimal units, the OS displays binary ones.

It's used by anyone estimating whether a file, video or backup will fit on a given drive or upload allowance, by developers calculating memory or storage requirements, and by people comparing internet plans or cloud storage tiers quoted in different units. Converting bits to bytes specifically also matters for reading network speeds correctly, since connection speeds are quoted in bits per second while file sizes are quoted in bytes.

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  • Editorial team

    For download times, mind the mismatch: this tool counts in binary steps, but network speeds are quoted in decimal bits per second. One GB here is 8,589,934,592 bit, and at 100 Mbit/s, meaning 100,000,000 bit per second, that takes about 85.9 s with no overhead. Real transfers are slower. Are you sizing a download, a backup or a drive? Tell us what you are converting.

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