Data Storage Converter

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between MB and MiB?

A megabyte (MB) is 1,000,000 bytes using the decimal SI definition, while a mebibyte (MiB) is 1,048,576 bytes (1024 x 1024) using the binary definition. Disk and network sizes are usually quoted in decimal MB and GB; operating-system memory figures often use the binary MiB and GiB, which is why a 1 TB drive shows as about 931 GiB.

How do bits relate to bytes in this converter?

One byte is exactly 8 bits. Network and internet speeds are typically quoted in bits per second (for example, 100 Mbps), while file sizes are quoted in bytes (for example, a 10 MB file). Downloading a 10 MB file over a 100 Mbps connection takes roughly 0.8 seconds because you divide 80 megabits by 100 megabits per second.

Why does my SSD show less capacity in Windows than the manufacturer states?

Manufacturers measure capacity in decimal gigabytes (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes), while Windows reports in binary gibibytes (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes) but labels them GB. A 500 GB SSD therefore shows as roughly 465 GiB in Windows. No capacity is missing; it is a labelling difference between the two definitions.

What is the largest unit this converter supports?

The converter goes up to terabytes (TB) and gibibytes (GiB) on the decimal and binary sides respectively. A terabyte is 1 trillion bytes (10 to the power of 12), which is enough to cover typical consumer hard drives and SSDs. For larger scales such as petabytes or exabytes you can multiply the terabyte result manually.