Storage Converter - Bits, Bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB & PB
Convert between bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes using the binary (1024-based) convention.
From
To
Gigabyte (GB) to other storage units
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Bit (b) | 8.589935e+9 |
| Byte (B) | 1.073742e+9 |
| Kilobyte (KB) | 1,048,576 |
| Megabyte (MB) | 1,024 |
| Terabyte (TB) | 0.0009765625 |
| Petabyte (PB) | 9.536743e-7 |
Digital Storage Converter
Convert between bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes. Enter a value, choose your source and target units, and see the converted result along with a full comparison table against every other unit.
Binary vs. Decimal Storage Units
There are two competing conventions for storage units. The decimal (SI) convention treats a kilobyte as exactly 1,000 bytes, a megabyte as 1,000,000 bytes, and so on — this is how hard drive manufacturers typically advertise capacity. The binary (IEC) convention treats a kilobyte as 1,024 bytes, a megabyte as 1,024² bytes, and so on — this is how operating systems like Windows and macOS typically report file and disk sizes, and it's the reason a drive labeled "1TB" shows up as roughly 931GB in your file explorer.
This calculator uses the binary (1024-based) convention throughout — 1 KB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MB = 1,024 KB, 1 GB = 1,024 MB, and so on — since that matches how most operating systems, file managers, and everyday computing tools display file and storage sizes.
Example
A 2.5 GB video file is 2.5 × 1,024 = 2,560 MB, or 2.5 × 1,024³ bytes. Converting the other way, a 500,000 KB download is 500,000 ÷ 1,024 ≈ 488.28 MB.
Common Use Cases
- Checking whether a file will fit on a USB drive, SD card, or cloud storage plan.
- Converting a download or file size between the units your software and OS display.
- Estimating bandwidth or data usage in bits vs. bytes (internet speeds are usually quoted in bits per second).
- Comparing advertised drive capacity to the size your computer actually reports.
FAQ
- Why does my 1TB hard drive show less than 1,000GB of space? Manufacturers advertise capacity using the decimal convention (1TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), but your operating system reports it using the binary convention this calculator uses (1TB ≈ 1,099,511,627,776 bytes) — the same physical bytes, just measured with a different-sized "GB."
- What's the difference between a bit and a byte? A byte is 8 bits. Internet connection speeds are almost always advertised in bits per second (Mbps), while file sizes are almost always shown in bytes (MB) — dividing a download's megabit speed by 8 gives you the expected megabyte-per-second transfer rate.
- Are KiB, MiB, and GiB the same as this tool's KB, MB, and GB? Yes in value — KiB/MiB/GiB are the technically precise IEC names for binary (1,024-based) units. This tool uses the more commonly searched KB/MB/GB labels but calculates them using the binary convention those IEC units represent.