Every Toolkit

Bit/Byte Converter

Convert between bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, and PB

Input Value

Enter a value and select the unit

Quick Conversions

Unit Reference

Bit
Binary digit (0 or 1)
Byte
8 bits
Kilobyte (KB)
1,024 bytes
Megabyte (MB)
1,024 KB
Gigabyte (GB)
1,024 MB
Terabyte (TB)
1,024 GB
Petabyte (PB)
1,024 TB

Conversion Results

1 Gigabyte (GB) equals:

Bit8,589,934,592
Byte1,073,741,824
Kilobyte (KB)1,048,576
Megabyte (MB)1,024
Gigabyte (GB)1
Terabyte (TB)0.0009765625
Petabyte (PB)9.536743e-7

Real-World Examples

Common file and storage sizes

Text Character1 Byte
Small Email50 Kilobyte (KB)
High-Res Photo5 Megabyte (MB)
MP3 Song (3 min)3 Megabyte (MB)
HD Movie (2 hours)4 Gigabyte (GB)
4K Movie (2 hours)25 Gigabyte (GB)
DVD Capacity4.7 Gigabyte (GB)
Blu-ray Disc25 Gigabyte (GB)
iPhone 256GB256 Gigabyte (GB)
External HDD2 Terabyte (TB)

Binary vs Decimal

Binary (Base 2):
1 KB = 1,024 bytes (2¹⁰)
Used by computers and this calculator
Decimal (Base 10):
1 KB = 1,000 bytes (10³)
Sometimes used by storage manufacturers

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About Bit/Byte Converter

Understanding Digital Storage Units

Digital storage is measured in binary units. The smallest unit is a bit (binary digit), which can be either 0 or 1. Eight bits make up one byte, which can represent 256 different values (2⁸). Larger units follow a binary progression where each step up multiplies by 1,024 (2¹⁰).

Common Units

  • Bit: The smallest unit, a single binary digit (0 or 1)
  • Byte: 8 bits, can represent one character of text
  • Kilobyte (KB): 1,024 bytes, small text files or emails
  • Megabyte (MB): 1,024 KB, photos, MP3 songs
  • Gigabyte (GB): 1,024 MB, HD movies, large applications
  • Terabyte (TB): 1,024 GB, hard drives, large data storage
  • Petabyte (PB): 1,024 TB, data centers, enterprise storage

Why 1,024 Instead of 1,000?

Computers use binary (base-2) numbering. Since 2¹⁰ = 1,024, this became the standard multiplier for digital storage. However, storage manufacturers sometimes use decimal (base-10) where 1 KB = 1,000 bytes, which can lead to confusion. This is why a "1 TB" hard drive may show as 931 GB on your computer (1,000,000,000,000 bytes ÷ 1,024³).

IEC Binary Prefixes

To avoid confusion, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) introduced binary prefixes: KiB (kibibyte), MiB (mebibyte), GiB (gibibyte), etc., where 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes. However, KB, MB, GB are still more commonly used.

Practical Applications

  • Determining storage needs for files and media
  • Understanding internet speed (Mbps = megabits per second)
  • Calculating data transfer times
  • Comparing storage device capacities
  • Planning cloud storage requirements
  • Understanding RAM and hard drive specifications

Bits vs Bytes in Internet Speed

Internet speeds are typically measured in bits per second (bps), not bytes. A 100 Mbps connection can theoretically download at 12.5 MB/s (megabytes per second), since there are 8 bits in a byte. Always divide Mbps by 8 to get MB/s.

Storage Evolution

  • 1980s: Floppy disks stored 1.44 MB
  • 1990s: CDs held 700 MB, early hard drives were 1-10 GB
  • 2000s: DVDs stored 4.7 GB, hard drives reached 100+ GB
  • 2010s: Blu-rays held 25-50 GB, hard drives hit 1-4 TB
  • 2020s: SSDs commonly 500 GB - 2 TB, HDDs up to 20+ TB