About the GB to TB
This GB to TB converter turns gigabytes into terabytes — and terabytes back into gigabytes — using both conventions you will meet in real life. Drive makers, cloud providers and phone specs use decimal units, where 1 TB = 1,000 GB. Windows and many memory specifications use binary units, where 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB. The tool shows both, so you can see exactly where the "missing" space goes.
Use it when comparing cloud storage plans, sizing a backup drive for your photo library, checking whether a game collection fits on an SSD, or explaining to a client why their brand-new 4 TB disk shows 3.63 TB. Pick the direction, enter a number and read the result, the binary equivalent, the size your operating system will display and the raw byte count.
Nothing is lost on a new drive: both numbers describe the same number of bytes. The difference is simply 1,000 versus 1,024 per step, which compounds to about 9% at the terabyte level. macOS, iOS and Android use decimal units, so they report the same figure printed on the box.
With the default inputs, the result (decimal: 1 tb = 1,000 gb) is 0.5. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the gb to tb
- 1Enter the storage amount.
- 2Choose GB → TB or TB → GB.
- 3Read the decimal result — this matches drive boxes and cloud plans.
- 4Check the binary result and the Windows figure to understand reported capacity.
Formula and method
In decimal (SI) units each prefix is 1,000 times the last: 1 TB = 1,000 GB = 10¹² bytes. In binary (IEC) units each step is 1,024: 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB = 2⁴⁰ bytes. The binary result applies the 1,024 factor to the number you entered.
The "What Windows displays" figure converts your decimal amount into bytes, then divides by 2³⁰ (for GB) or 2⁴⁰ (for TB), because Windows File Explorer reports binary sizes while labelling them GB and TB. That is why capacity appears about 7% smaller at the GB level and 9% smaller at the TB level.
- GB / TB
- Gigabyte = 10⁹ bytes; terabyte = 10¹² bytes (decimal)
- GiB / TiB
- Gibibyte = 2³⁰ bytes; tebibyte = 2⁴⁰ bytes (binary)
Worked examples
500 GB in TB
500 ÷ 1,000 = 0.5 TB. If the 500 were gibibytes, 500 ÷ 1,024 = 0.488 TiB. A 500 GB drive holds 500 billion bytes, which Windows shows as 0.455 TB.
How many GB in a 4 TB drive?
4 TB × 1,000 = 4,000 GB as sold. 4 TiB would be 4 × 1,024 = 4,096 GiB. Windows divides 4 × 10¹² bytes by 2³⁰ and shows about 3,725 GB.
2,048 GB of photos
2,048 ÷ 1,000 = 2.048 TB, just too big for a 2 TB drive. In binary units 2,048 GiB is exactly 2 TiB.
Frequently asked questions
How many GB are in 1 TB?+
In decimal units used by drive makers and cloud storage, 1 TB = 1,000 GB. In binary units, 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB. Windows uses the binary definition but still writes "GB" and "TB".
Why does my 1 TB hard drive show 931 GB?+
The drive holds 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Windows divides by 1,073,741,824 bytes per "GB" (really GiB), which gives 931 GB. No space is missing; it is a units difference.
Is 1 TB equal to 1,024 GB?+
Only in the binary sense (1 TiB = 1,024 GiB). Storage marketing, the SI standard and macOS all use 1 TB = 1,000 GB, so a 1 TB product holds 1,000 decimal gigabytes.
How many photos or hours of video fit in 1 TB?+
Roughly 250,000 12-megapixel JPEG photos at 4 MB each, or roughly 330 hours of 1080p video at about 3 GB per hour (typical streaming quality). Camera footage uses far more space, so real numbers vary with resolution and compression.
What comes after a terabyte?+
A petabyte (PB) is 1,000 TB, then exabyte (EB), zettabyte (ZB) and yottabyte (YB), each 1,000 times larger. The binary equivalents are PiB, EiB, ZiB and YiB.