How this Data Storage Converter works (with formulas)

Data units look simple at first — until you meet the two big “gotchas” that create most confusion online: (1) bits vs bytes and (2) decimal (SI) vs binary (IEC) prefixes. This page is designed to make conversions fast and to make the logic easy to explain in one screenshot.

The most important relationship in digital measurement is: 1 byte (B) = 8 bits (b). A bit is a single 0/1 value. A byte is a group of 8 bits — historically a convenient chunk for storing characters and general data.

That’s why internet speeds are commonly advertised in Mbps (megabits per second), while file sizes are commonly displayed in MB (megabytes). The letter case matters: Mb means megabits; MB means megabytes. When you see a download speed and wonder “why is it 8× different?”, you’ve probably found the bit/byte mismatch.

Next comes scaling. In everyday metric measurement, prefixes are base-10: kilo = 1000, mega = 1,000,000, giga = 1,000,000,000, and so on. Storage manufacturers like this because it makes capacities neat and easy to market. In that system:

• 1 KB = 1000 B
• 1 MB = 1000 KB = 1,000,000 B
• 1 GB = 1000 MB = 1,000,000,000 B
• 1 TB = 1000 GB = 1,000,000,000,000 B

Computers, however, often allocate memory in powers of two. The binary-friendly version uses base-2 increments (multiples of 1024). To reduce confusion, the IEC introduced distinct symbols: KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB (“kibi”, “mebi”, “gibi”, “tebi”). In that system:

• 1 KiB = 1024 B
• 1 MiB = 1024 KiB = 1,048,576 B
• 1 GiB = 1024 MiB = 1,073,741,824 B
• 1 TiB = 1024 GiB = 1,099,511,627,776 B

Converters are easiest when you pick one “hub” unit. This calculator uses bytes as the hub:

• Convert your input into bytes using the selected “From” unit’s multiplier.
• Convert bytes into the target unit by dividing by the “To” unit’s multiplier.

The only special case is bits: since 1 bit = 1/8 byte, converting from bits multiplies by (1/8), and converting to bits divides by (1/8) — which is the same as multiplying by 8.

Let V be your input value. Let F be the bytes-per-unit multiplier for the “From” unit. Let T be the bytes-per-unit multiplier for the “To” unit. Then:

• Bytes = V × F
• Result = Bytes ÷ T
• So: Result = V × (F ÷ T)

The “System (helps explain)” dropdown doesn’t change the math of units like KiB or MiB — those are unambiguous. It mainly helps you interpret and label your result when you’re doing quick practical checks (like “should this be closer to decimal GB or binary GiB?”). If you want absolute clarity, choose the explicit IEC units (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB).

Here’s the classic example. A “1 TB” drive is usually 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (decimal TB). If your OS reports storage using binary GiB:

• 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes
• 1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 1,073,741,824 ≈ 931.32 GiB

Many systems still label that as “GB,” even though it’s really GiB. That label mismatch creates the impression that you “lost” storage, but it’s mostly a unit definition difference (plus a small amount of formatting and filesystem overhead).

Conversion examples (the ones people Google)

These examples cover the most common “wait…why?” conversions: internet speeds, downloads, and storage reporting. Try them in the converter above and screenshot the result for quick sharing.

Suppose your internet speed is 100 Mbps (megabits per second). You want megabytes per second:

• 1 byte = 8 bits → divide by 8
• 100 Mb/s ÷ 8 = 12.5 MB/s (ideal maximum)

Real downloads are usually lower due to protocol overhead, Wi‑Fi interference, and server limitations — but the 8× relationship is still the first sanity check.

If a file is listed as 4 GB using decimal GB:

• 4 GB = 4 × 1,000,000,000 B
• Divide by 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 B
• ≈ 3.725 GiB

This is why a “4 GB” download might display as ~3.7 GiB depending on your system.

In binary units, this one is neat:

• 1024 KiB = 1 MiB

Because IEC units scale exactly by 1024 each step, they align with memory and binary allocation.

• 1 TB (decimal) = 1,000,000,000,000 B
• 1 TiB (binary) = 1,099,511,627,776 B
• 1 TB ÷ 1 TiB ≈ 0.909 TiB

If you’re using SI (decimal) prefixes:

• 750 MB = 750 × 1000 KB = 750,000 KB

If you use binary units instead, you’d want MiB and KiB (and the numbers shift slightly). When precision matters, pick KiB/MiB.

How to interpret your conversion result

When you convert data units, the number you get is only half the story — the unit definition is the other half. Here’s a quick guide to reading results without getting tricked by labeling:

• b = bit, B = byte.
• Mb (megabits) vs MB (megabytes) is an 8× difference.

• If you’re comparing to what your OS reports, try KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB.
• If you’re comparing to drive packaging or cloud billing, try KB/MB/GB/TB.

• 1 KB ≈ 1000 bytes, 1 KiB = 1024 bytes (very close at small sizes).
• Differences grow with scale: at TB, the gap becomes very noticeable.
• For speeds: divide Mbps by 8 to estimate MB/s, then compare to real download speeds.

Storage companies typically use decimal units because it aligns with SI prefixes and consumer expectations. Operating systems and memory allocation are often binary. That mismatch explains the most common surprise: “I bought 1 TB, why do I only see 931 GB?” The converter above makes that conversion explicit so you can explain it in a sentence.

For billing, engineering, or contracts, use the unit names specified in the documentation. If it says GiB, treat it as binary. If it says GB, confirm whether it means 10^9 bytes (most common in storage) or 2^30 bytes (common in OS displays but often mislabeled).

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is 1 KB equal to 1024 bytes?

  Technically, 1 KB = 1000 bytes in the SI (decimal) system. 1024 bytes is 1 KiB in the IEC (binary) system. In older contexts, people used KB to mean 1024 bytes, but the clearer modern approach is to use KiB/MiB/GiB for 1024-based units.

• Why does my computer show less space than the hard drive label?

  Drive labels typically use decimal TB/GB, while many operating systems display binary GiB/TiB (sometimes still labeled as GB/TB). A “1 TB” drive is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, which is about 931.32 GiB. The missing-looking space is mostly a unit definition difference.

• How do I convert Mbps to MB/s?

  Divide by 8 because there are 8 bits in a byte. Example: 200 Mbps ÷ 8 ≈ 25 MB/s (ideal maximum). Real-world speeds will be lower due to overhead and network conditions.

• Do bits and bytes matter for streaming?

  Yes. Streaming services, ISPs, and routers usually talk in bits (Mbps). File downloads and storage are usually shown in bytes (MB/GB). Knowing the 8× relationship helps you estimate whether your connection can sustain a certain bitrate.

• Does this converter work offline?

  Once the page loads, the calculations run entirely in your browser with no API calls. If you bookmark it, you can often use it again even with limited connectivity (browser caching depends on your setup).

• Can I convert really huge numbers like petabytes?

  Yes. The calculator supports up to yotta/yobi units. For extremely large values, the page also shows a scientific-notation version so the result stays readable.

Keep exploring

MaximCalculator provides simple, user-friendly tools. Always treat results as educational and double-check any important conversions in official documentation if money or safety is involved.