About the Data Storage Converter
This data storage converter translates file and drive sizes between bits, bytes, the decimal units (KB, MB, GB, TB, PB) and the binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB, PiB). Choose the unit you have and the one you want, and the table shows the same amount in every unit at once.
It helps when a new drive looks smaller than advertised, when estimating how many photos or videos fit on a card, comparing cloud storage plans, sizing backups, or converting network megabits into file megabytes. Developers and IT staff can also use it to check memory and quota figures.
Manufacturers use decimal prefixes (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), while Windows and many tools count in binary (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes) but often still label it "GB". That is why a 1 TB drive appears as about 931 GB. This tool keeps the two systems separate so you can see both.
With the default inputs, the converted size is 931.322575. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the data storage converter
- 1Enter the size you want to convert.
- 2Choose its unit — decimal (GB) for drive labels, binary (GiB) for OS readings.
- 3Choose the unit you want the answer in.
- 4Read the result and scan the table for every other unit.
Formula and method
Every unit is stored as its size in bytes. Decimal (SI) units step up by 1,000: 1 KB = 1,000 B, 1 MB = 1,000,000 B, 1 GB = 10⁹ B. Binary (IEC) units step up by 1,024: 1 KiB = 1,024 B, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 B, 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 B. One byte is 8 bits, so network speeds in megabits divide by 8 to give megabytes.
The input is converted to bytes using the "from" factor, then divided by the "to" factor. The gap between the systems grows with each prefix: the same number of bytes reads about 2.3% lower in KiB than in KB, 6.9% lower in GiB than in GB, and 9.1% lower in TiB than in TB.
- B
- Byte (8 bits)
- KB, MB, GB, TB
- Decimal units: powers of 1,000 bytes
- KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB
- Binary units: powers of 1,024 bytes
Worked examples
Why a 1 TB drive shows 931 GB
1 TB is 10¹² bytes. Dividing by 1,073,741,824 bytes per GiB gives 931.32 GiB, which Windows displays as "931 GB".
500 GB SSD in GiB
500 × 10⁹ bytes ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 465.66 GiB — the capacity your computer will report.
One GiB in bytes
A gibibyte is 1,024³ = 1,073,741,824 bytes, which is 8,589,934,592 bits.
100 MB file in megabits
Each byte is 8 bits, so 100 megabytes is 800 megabits. On a 100 Mbps connection it would take at least 8 seconds to download.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1 GB 1,000 MB or 1,024 MB?+
Under the SI standard, 1 GB is 1,000 MB (10⁹ bytes). 1,024 MiB make one GiB (2³⁰ bytes). Many operating systems use the binary value but still write "GB", which causes the confusion.
Why does my new hard drive show less space than advertised?+
Drive makers count 1 TB as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Windows divides by 1,024 at each step, so the same drive shows as about 931 GB. No space is missing; it is just a different unit.
What is the difference between MB and Mb?+
MB (capital B) is megabytes; Mb (lowercase b) is megabits. One byte is 8 bits, so 1 MB = 8 Mb. Internet speeds are quoted in megabits per second.
How many bytes are in a kilobyte?+
A kilobyte (KB) is 1,000 bytes under the SI definition. A kibibyte (KiB) is 1,024 bytes. Older software often used "KB" to mean 1,024 bytes.
What does KiB, MiB and GiB mean?+
They are binary prefixes defined by the IEC in 1998: kibi (2¹⁰), mebi (2²⁰) and gibi (2³⁰). They were introduced so 1,024-based sizes would not be confused with 1,000-based ones.