Data Storage Converter: Bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB
Convert between every digital storage unit in one tool. Bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, and bits, all using the binary 1024 multiplier that matches what Windows, macOS, and Linux file size displays show. Any-to-any conversion with a single tap to swap direction.
Convert any data storage unit
1 Megabyte = 0.000976563 Gigabyte
Popular data conversions
Quick links to the most-searched conversion directions.
All supported data units
Every unit in the converter, with its precise definition and common use.
| Unit | Symbol | Definition | Common use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byte | B | 8 bits. The smallest meaningful storage unit. | File sizes at the smallest scale. |
| Kilobyte | KB | 1024 bytes (binary). Some contexts use 1000. | Small files (documents, small images). |
| Megabyte | MB | 1024 KB or 1,048,576 bytes. | Photos, songs, small apps. |
| Gigabyte | GB | 1024 MB or 1,073,741,824 bytes. | Movies, app installs, RAM. |
| Terabyte | TB | 1024 GB. Most large modern drives. | External drives, backup, NAS. |
| Petabyte | PB | 1024 TB. Big data and cloud storage. | Data centers, large-scale archives. |
| Bit | bit | 1/8 of a byte. The base unit of digital info. | Network speeds (Mbps, Gbps). |
What this converter gives you
All storage units
Bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, PB, and bits in one converter. Binary conversions throughout.
OS-matching values
Uses 1024-based binary conversion that matches Windows, macOS, and Linux file size displays.
Bit support
Convert between bytes (storage) and bits (network speed) with the correct 1:8 ratio.
Swap in one tap
Reverse direction instantly.
100% private
Runs in your browser. Nothing sent to a server.
Mobile-friendly
Works on phones, tablets, and desktops.
When you need a data converter
Buying storage
Compare a 1 TB drive with a 1024 GB cloud allowance and a 1,000,000 MB hosting quota.
Planning a backup
Estimate how many photos, videos, or documents will fit on a given drive size.
Checking download size
Translate game or app download sizes between MB and GB when planning a slow connection.
Internet speed math
Convert your Mbps connection to actual MB per second of download speed (divide by 8).
Server sizing
Plan database, cloud, or VPS storage needs in consistent units.
Comparing file formats
See how much smaller a compressed file is in absolute bytes versus the original.
About digital storage
Binary vs decimal: why 1 TB is not 1000 GB
Computers count storage in powers of 2 because memory chips are made up of binary cells. 1 KB has historically meant 1024 bytes (2 to the 10th), 1 MB meant 1024 KB (2 to the 20th = 1,048,576 bytes), and so on. Storage manufacturers, however, advertise drives using decimal multiples (1 KB = 1000 bytes, 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes) because the numbers look bigger and the math is simpler. The result is that a 1 TB advertised drive shows up as about 931 GB in Windows because Windows uses the binary definition.
The IEC standard: KiB, MiB, GiB
To resolve the ambiguity, the IEC defined a clean naming standard in 1998: kibibyte (KiB) = 1024 bytes, mebibyte (MiB) = 1024 KiB, gibibyte (GiB) = 1024 MiB, and so on. Under this standard, KB always means decimal (1000 bytes) and KiB always means binary (1024 bytes). The standard is correct but unused: almost all software still uses KB to mean 1024. This calculator follows the de facto convention: KB = 1024 bytes.
Bytes and bits
A bit is a single 0 or 1, the smallest unit of digital information. Eight bits make a byte, which is the smallest piece of data computers usually address. Network speeds are quoted in bits per second (Mbps for megabits, Gbps for gigabits), because data transfer happens one bit at a time over the wire. Storage is quoted in bytes. To convert a network speed to actual file-transfer speed in megabytes per second, divide by 8: a 100 Mbps connection downloads at about 12.5 MB per second.
Typical storage sizes
Common storage scales: a Microsoft Word document is 30 to 300 KB. A 4K phone photo is 3 to 5 MB. A 1080p HD movie is 1 to 4 GB. A 4K movie is 6 to 15 GB. A complete Windows install (with apps) is 50 to 100 GB. A modern smartphone has 64 to 256 GB. A laptop SSD is 256 to 2 TB. An external desktop HDD goes up to 22 TB at the time of writing.
RAM vs storage
RAM (memory) and storage (drive) are both measured in GB but serve different roles. RAM is temporary working memory that holds running apps; a typical laptop has 8 to 32 GB of RAM. Storage is long-term and persistent across reboots; the same laptop might have 512 GB of SSD storage. Storage is much larger than RAM but much slower to access. RAM is always quoted in binary GB; storage is sometimes binary, sometimes decimal.
Cloud storage and bandwidth
Cloud services usually quote storage in decimal GB (the "drive maker" convention), since they charge by the GB. Bandwidth and data transfer caps are also usually decimal. So 100 GB of cloud storage holds slightly more bytes than 100 GB of files appears to take on your local drive. The difference is about 7 percent at the TB scale.
File compression and effective storage
Compressed file formats (ZIP, RAR, 7z, MP3, JPEG, H.264 video) store data using fewer bytes than the raw original. A 50 MB raw photo might be 5 MB as a JPEG. An hour of raw video (uncompressed 4K) is over 100 GB; H.265-compressed it is 6 to 10 GB. Total storage usage on a typical user's computer is much more efficient than the raw size of the same data.
How much do I really need?
For everyday use (web, documents, modest photos): 256 GB is fine. For photography (occasional shoots, light editing): 512 GB to 1 TB. For gaming or video editing: 1 to 2 TB minimum, plus external for backups. For professional video work: 4+ TB. The calculator helps you compare different storage offers in consistent units when shopping.
The big units beyond TB
Beyond terabyte comes petabyte (PB), exabyte (EB), zettabyte (ZB), and yottabyte (YB), each 1024 times the previous. A petabyte is one quadrillion bytes (binary). Total global data created per year is currently around 100 ZB and growing. The Hubble Space Telescope has produced about 200 TB of data over its lifetime. The Library of Congress is estimated at 15 to 75 TB depending on what counts.
In binary (the computer industry standard): 1 GB = 1024 MB. In decimal (often used by storage manufacturers): 1 GB = 1000 MB. The calculator uses the binary convention because that is what operating systems show.
Because storage makers use decimal (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes) but operating systems use binary (1 TB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes). A 1 TB advertised drive shows as about 931 GB in Windows. The difference is the gap between the two definitions.
KB technically means 1000 bytes (decimal kilobyte), KiB means 1024 bytes (binary kibibyte, the official IEC term). Most software still uses KB to mean 1024 bytes, which is technically inaccurate but universal. This calculator follows the common convention: KB = 1024 bytes.
In binary: 1 MB = 1024 * 1024 = 1,048,576 bytes. In decimal: 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. The calculator uses the binary definition (1,048,576 bytes per MB), matching Windows, macOS, and most software displays.
In binary: 1 TB = 1024 GB. In decimal: 1 TB = 1000 GB. So a 2 TB drive in binary is 2,048 GB. In decimal (as advertised), it is 2,000 GB. Storage makers use decimal so the drive sounds bigger.
Bytes (B), Kilobytes (KB), Megabytes (MB), Gigabytes (GB), Terabytes (TB), Petabytes (PB), and Bits. Any-to-any conversion supported. All conversions use the binary 1024 multiplier.
Total internet storage and traffic is in zettabytes (ZB). One zettabyte is 1 billion terabytes (10^21 bytes). Global internet traffic crossed 1 ZB per year around 2017 and is now around 4 to 5 ZB per year. Total stored data is harder to estimate but is in the tens of ZB.
A typical 4K photo from a modern phone is 3 to 5 MB. So a 1 TB drive (about 931 GB in binary, or 953,000 MB) holds roughly 190,000 to 320,000 photos. RAW photos from a DSLR are 25 to 50 MB each, so a TB holds 19,000 to 38,000 RAW files.
It depends on quality. 1080p H.264 video runs about 4 GB per hour, so 1 TB holds about 230 hours. 4K H.265 runs about 8 to 10 GB per hour, so 1 TB holds 90 to 115 hours. Streaming services use lower bitrates so the same drive can hold more.
A bit is the smallest unit of digital information, a single 1 or 0. Eight bits make one byte. Network speeds are measured in bits per second (Mbps, Gbps), while storage is measured in bytes (MB, GB). A 100 Mbps connection downloads at about 12.5 MB per second, because 100 / 8 = 12.5.
Gigabit means 1 Gbps (1 billion bits per second), which is 125 MB per second in actual file transfer. A 5 GB movie downloads in about 40 seconds at full gigabit speed. Real-world speeds are usually lower due to overhead, server limits, and Wi-Fi.
Yes. All values stay in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, logged, or shared. You can use the calculator offline once the page has loaded.
Yes. The "Bit" unit divides by 8 to convert to bytes (the base unit), and multiplies by 8 going the other way. So 8 Mb (megabits) equals 1 MB (megabyte). Be careful with networking speeds, which are almost always in bits per second, not bytes per second.