Two ways to count a kilobyte
Data size has two competing conventions. The decimal (SI) system treats kilo as 1,000, so 1 KB is 1,000 bytes, 1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes and 1 GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes. The binary system, used internally by memory and by some operating systems, counts in powers of 1,024: 1 KiB is 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB is 1,048,576 bytes and 1 GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes. The "i" in KiB, MiB and GiB was introduced by the International Electrotechnical Commission to remove the ambiguity. This converter lists both families separately.
Why your new drive seems smaller
Storage makers label drives with decimal units, so a "1 TB" drive holds 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Some operating systems report capacity in binary units but write "GB". Divide by 1,073,741,824 and the same drive is about 931 GiB, which looks like missing space. Nothing is missing; the two systems just use different bases. Try 1 TB to GiB in the tool to see it.
Bits and bytes
A byte is eight bits. Internet speeds are usually quoted in bits per second (megabits, Mbps), while file sizes are in bytes. A 100 Mbps connection moves at best 12.5 megabytes per second, so a 1 GB download needs at least 80 seconds even before protocol overhead. Convert bits to bytes with the tool by entering your figure in bits and choosing bytes or megabytes as the target.
Typical sizes for reference
- A plain text page is a few kilobytes; a typical JPEG photo from a phone is roughly 2 to 6 MB.
- A standard-definition movie file is often around 1 to 2 GB; a high-definition one can be several GB.
- Cloud storage plans are commonly sold as 5 GB, 100 GB, 1 TB and 2 TB.
These are broad ranges, not guarantees, since compression and quality settings vary widely. The converter does the arithmetic only. It never reads your files, and all work happens in your browser.
Using the converter
Type the number, choose the starting unit, choose the unit you want, and read the answer. Use the swap button to reverse direction. Large results switch to scientific notation to stay readable.