💾 Data Storage Converter
Convert bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, and binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB).
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Common Data Storage Conversions
| Input | Unit | Result | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gigabyte | 1000 | Megabyte |
| 1 | Terabyte | 1000 | Gigabyte |
| 1 | Gibibyte | 1.0737418 | Gigabyte |
| 1 | Tebibyte | 1.0995116 | Terabyte |
| 500 | Megabyte | 0.5 | Gigabyte |
| 1 | Megabyte | 976.5625 | Kibibyte |
Popular Conversions
Formula Reference
Decimal (SI) — powers of 1,000: 1 KB = 1,000 B • 1 MB = 1,000 KB • 1 GB = 1,000 MB • 1 TB = 1,000 GB Binary (IEC) — powers of 1,024: 1 KiB = 1,024 B • 1 MiB = 1,024 KiB • 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB • 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB
About Data Storage Conversions
Digital storage is measured in bits (a single binary 0 or 1) and bytes (8 bits). Everything stored on a device — a document, a photo, a movie, an app — is ultimately a sequence of bits. As storage technology has grown from kilobytes to petabytes, new prefix units have become necessary to describe these quantities clearly.
Two competing prefix systems have caused persistent confusion. The decimal system (KB, MB, GB, TB) uses powers of 1,000 and is defined by the International System of Units (SI). Hard drive and flash storage manufacturers use this system, so a '1 TB' drive contains exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. The binary system (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB) uses powers of 1,024, as defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). Operating systems have historically used this system for displaying storage.
The gap between these systems grows at each scale. 1 KB vs 1 KiB is a small difference (1,000 vs 1,024 bytes), but by the time you reach terabytes the discrepancy is significant: 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, while 1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes — about a 10% difference. This explains why a '1 TB' hard drive appears as roughly 931 GiB in your operating system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my hard drive show less storage than advertised?
Hard drive manufacturers use decimal prefixes: 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Your operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) traditionally displays storage in binary units, where 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes. A drive advertised as '1 TB' contains exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes — but your OS shows this as approximately 931 GiB. No storage is missing; it is simply counted using a different standard.
What is the difference between a kilobyte (KB) and a kibibyte (KiB)?
A kilobyte (KB) is exactly 1,000 bytes (10³) in the SI/decimal system. A kibibyte (KiB) is exactly 1,024 bytes (2¹⁰) in the IEC/binary system. The difference is small at this scale but compounds rapidly: at the terabyte level, the two systems differ by about 10%.
How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?
Using the decimal system: 1 GB = 1,000 MB. Using the binary system: 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB. Most consumer contexts — file sizes, streaming quality, storage marketing — use the decimal definition.
How many bits are in a byte?
There are exactly 8 bits in one byte. This is relevant when comparing file sizes (measured in bytes or megabytes) with internet speeds (measured in bits per second). A 100 Mbps connection transfers 100 megabits per second, which equals 12.5 megabytes per second.
What is a petabyte?
A petabyte (PB) is 1,000 terabytes or 1,000,000 gigabytes in the decimal system. To put it in perspective: 1 petabyte could hold approximately 200 million photos from a typical smartphone camera, or about 13.3 years of continuous HD video.
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All conversion results are provided for general informational purposes only. Our formulas use internationally recognized conversion factors; however, rounding may affect precision. Do not rely on these results for professional, medical, legal, or engineering decisions without independent verification. Read our full disclaimer.