About the Bits to Bytes Converter
This bits to bytes converter handles every common digital unit: bits, kilobits, megabits, gigabits and terabits; bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes; and the binary kibibytes, mebibytes, gibibytes and tebibytes that operating systems often use. Choose the unit you have and the unit you want, and the table lists the value in all of them.
The most common reason to use it is internet speed. Providers advertise in megabits per second (Mbps), but browsers and download managers show megabytes per second (MB/s). Because a byte is 8 bits, a 100 Mbps plan tops out at 12.5 MB/s. It is also handy for estimating file sizes, bandwidth caps and storage.
Lower-case b means bits and upper-case B means bytes. Decimal prefixes (k, M, G) step by 1,000; binary prefixes (Ki, Mi, Gi) step by 1,024 — which is why a “1 TB” drive shows about 931 GiB in your computer.
With the default inputs, the converted value is 12.5. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the bits to bytes converter
- 1Enter the amount to convert.
- 2Choose its unit — watch lower-case b (bits) versus upper-case B (bytes).
- 3Choose the target unit.
- 4Read the result; the table shows the same value in every unit.
Formula and method
A byte is 8 bits, so dividing a bit count by 8 gives bytes and multiplying bytes by 8 gives bits. Decimal (SI) prefixes multiply by powers of 1,000: 1 kilobit = 1,000 bits, 1 megabyte = 1,000,000 bytes. Binary (IEC) prefixes multiply by powers of 1,024: 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes.
The converter turns your value into bits using the unit’s size, then divides by the size of the target unit. Speeds work the same way per second: Mbps ÷ 8 = MB/s.
- b
- Bit — a single binary digit (0 or 1)
- B
- Byte — 8 bits
- k, M, G, T
- Decimal prefixes: 10³, 10⁶, 10⁹, 10¹²
- Ki, Mi, Gi, Ti
- Binary prefixes: 2¹⁰, 2²⁰, 2³⁰, 2⁴⁰
Worked examples
100 Mbps internet to MB/s
100 megabits ÷ 8 = 12.5 megabytes, so a 100 Mbps plan downloads at most 12.5 MB each second (11.92 MiB/s).
8 bits to bytes
Eight bits make exactly one byte.
1 GiB to megabits
1 GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes × 8 = 8,589,934,592 bits, or 8,589.93 megabits.
1 GB to GiB
1,000,000,000 bytes ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 0.9313 GiB, which is why storage looks smaller in your operating system.
Frequently asked questions
How many bits are in a byte?+
A byte contains 8 bits. Half a byte (4 bits) is called a nibble, and one bit is a single 0 or 1.
How do I convert Mbps to MB/s?+
Divide megabits per second by 8. A 500 Mbps connection gives up to 62.5 MB/s, and gigabit (1,000 Mbps) gives up to 125 MB/s before protocol overhead.
What is the difference between Mb and MB?+
Mb (lower-case b) is a megabit and MB (upper-case B) is a megabyte, which is 8 times larger. Network speeds usually use Mb; file sizes use MB.
Is a kilobyte 1,000 or 1,024 bytes?+
Under the SI and IEC standards a kilobyte (kB) is 1,000 bytes and a kibibyte (KiB) is 1,024 bytes. Windows still labels KiB as “KB”, which causes much of the confusion.
Why does my 1 TB drive show about 931 GB?+
Drive makers use decimal terabytes (10¹² bytes), while many operating systems report binary units: 10¹² ÷ 1,024⁴ ≈ 0.909 TiB, or about 931 GiB.