💾 Data Storage Converter
KB, MB, GB, TB (decimal SI). Runs privately in your browser.
Two competing conventions, SI and binary
There are two conventions in circulation. SI decimal: 1 kB = 1000 B, 1 MB = 1000² B, 1 GB = 1000³ B — what storage makers and telecoms use, and what this converter implements. Binary IEC: 1 KiB = 1024 B, 1 MiB = 1024² B — what many operating systems historically showed. The mismatch is why a '500 GB' drive shows as ~465 'GB' (really GiB) in some tools.
Knowing which convention applies prevents the classic 'missing gigabytes' complaint: nothing is missing — the units differ by 7.3% per step, compounding. The converter stays in decimal, so its answers match the numbers printed on drives and quoted by ISPs.Memory and storage diverge by convention: RAM is marketed in binary-ish GiB (2^30 bytes), drives in decimal GB (10^9 bytes) — one reason a '16 GB' stick reports oddly in system tools. Downloads and streaming are decimal: a '25 GB' game is 25 × 10^9 bytes, and a 100 Mb/s line moves it in about 33 minutes at 12.5 MB/s effective. Keep the two unit families straight and the numbers stop lying to you.
Every step, counted in bytes
Decimal SI: each step ×1000 — kB 10³, MB 10⁶, GB 10⁹, TB 10¹² bytes. (Binary equivalents: KiB 2¹⁰, MiB 2²⁰, GiB 2³⁰, TiB 2⁴⁰.)
A 25 GB download on a 50 Mb/s line
A 25 GB game download: 25 × 10⁹ = 2.5 × 10¹⁰ bytes = 25,000 MB. Over a 50 Mb/s connection (megabits!), that's 200 Gb to move → 200 ÷ 50 = 4 hours. A 1000-photo phone library at 3 MB each is 3000 MB = 3 GB.
Bits, bytes, and the missing gigabytes
- Confusing bits and bytes: 8 bits = 1 byte, so 100 Mb/s delivers 12.5 MB/s. ISPs quote bits; files are bytes.
- Expecting 1024-based results from this decimal converter — read the 'decimal SI' note.
- Assuming 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes in every context; some legacy tools mean MiB.
- Forgetting formatting overhead: a '1 TB' drive formats to less usable space because file systems reserve structures.Comparing photo-library sizes across devices without checking each device's reporting convention (decimal vs binary) — the same library can display two sizes.
Storage questions
Why does my 1 TB drive show 931 GB?
Your OS shows GiB (1024-based): 10¹² bytes = 931.3 GiB. Nothing is missing — the units differ.
Are KB and KiB the same?
No — kB is 1000 bytes (SI), KiB is 1024 bytes (IEC). This converter uses SI.
How many MB in a GB?
1000 in decimal convention; 1024 in binary. Drives and this tool use 1000.
Is GB or GiB bigger?
GiB — 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes vs 1 GB = 1,000,000,000, about 7.4% larger.
What about bits?
This converter works in bytes. Divide network megabits by 8 to get megabytes.
Is 1 TB enough for backups?
1000 GB at decimal; count your source in the same convention — most OS file listings show GiB, so subtract ~7% per step mentally.
How long to download 50 GB at 300 Mb/s?
50 GB = 400 Gb ÷ 300 Mb/s ≈ 22 minutes — bits vs bytes is the whole trick.
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Tip: double-check inputs before relying on results for important decisions.