Data Storage Converter
Convert between bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and more data storage units.
Quick Reference — 1 unit = ? Byte (B)
| Unit | Value |
|---|---|
| Bit (b) | 0.125 |
| Byte (B) | 1 |
| Kilobyte (KB) | 1024 |
| Megabyte (MB) | 1048576 |
| Gigabyte (GB) | 1073741824 |
| Terabyte (TB) | 1099511628000 |
| Petabyte (PB) | 1.125900e+15 |
| Kibibyte (KiB) | 1024 |
Formula
Multiply by (from factor / to factor)
Everyday Uses
Phone and cloud plans
"128 GB" phone, "0.5 TB" plan, "50,000 MB" left — convert storage sizes to know what actually fits.
Photo and video budgets
At ~5 MB per photo, how many fit in 64 GB? Convert units to plan trips, backups, and camera cards.
The GB vs GiB mystery
Why does a "1 TB" drive show 931 GB? Decimal versus binary units explained with the exact numbers.
Download planning
A 75 GB game on a 500 GB console with 120,000 MB free — convert everything to one unit and know before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many bytes are in a kilobyte, megabyte, and gigabyte?
In binary (used by operating systems): 1 KB = 1,024 bytes; 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes (1,024²); 1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes (1,024³); 1 TB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (1,024⁴). In decimal (used by hard drive manufacturers): 1 KB = 1,000 bytes; 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes; 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes; 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. This is why a "1 TB" hard drive shows as ~931 GB in Windows — the OS reports in binary while the manufacturer measures in decimal.
What is the difference between GB (gigabyte) and GiB (gibibyte)?
GB (gigabyte) = 10⁹ = 1,000,000,000 bytes (SI/decimal standard). GiB (gibibyte) = 2³⁰ = 1,073,741,824 bytes (binary standard, IEC 80000-13). The "gibi/mebi/kibi" prefixes (GiB, MiB, KiB) were standardised in 1998 to eliminate ambiguity. In practice: Windows reports storage in GiB but labels it "GB"; macOS switched to decimal GB in OS X 10.6. Networking speeds (Mbps, Gbps) always use decimal (powers of 10).
How much storage do photos, videos, and documents actually use?
Typical file sizes for reference: A smartphone photo (12 MP JPEG) ≈ 3–8 MB. RAW photo (DSLR) ≈ 20–50 MB. 4K video at 30fps ≈ 750 MB–1.5 GB per minute. 1080p HD video ≈ 100–400 MB per minute. A 3-minute MP3 song ≈ 3–8 MB. A Word document ≈ 50–200 KB. A DVD-quality movie ≈ 4.7 GB. A 4K Blu-ray movie ≈ 50–100 GB. With this reference: a 256 GB phone holds roughly 30,000–80,000 JPEG photos or about 3–4 hours of 4K video.
How many bits are in a byte, and why does it matter?
1 byte = 8 bits. A bit (binary digit) is the smallest unit of data — a single 0 or 1. 8 bits = 1 byte can represent 256 different values (2⁸ = 256), enough to encode any character in ASCII. Storage is measured in bytes (B); network speeds are measured in bits per second (bps). This is a critical distinction: a 100 Mbps internet connection transfers at 100 megabits/second = 12.5 MB/second (divide by 8). Always check whether a quoted speed is in bits or bytes.
What is a petabyte and how large are modern data centres?
1 petabyte (PB) = 1,024 terabytes = 10¹⁵ bytes (decimal). 1 exabyte (EB) = 1,024 PB. Scale reference: 1 PB ≈ 11,000+ 4K movies; or 500 billion pages of text; or 20 million filing cabinet drawers. Facebook/Meta stores roughly 100+ petabytes of photos. Google processes ~20 petabytes of data per day. The entire written works of humanity is estimated at about 50 petabytes. Global internet traffic in 2024 exceeds 500 exabytes per year (~1.4 exabytes per day).