Bytes Converter
Digital storage uses binary units. 1 KB (kilobyte) = 1,024 bytes, 1 MB = 1,024 KB = 1,048,576 bytes, 1 GB = 1,024 MB, 1 TB = 1,024 GB. Decimal (SI) units use 1,000: 1 kB = 1,000 bytes. For example, 500 MB = 0.488 GB (binary) or 500,000,000 bytes. Common file sizes: JPEG photo 2-5 MB, MP3 song 3-5 MB, HD movie 4-8 GB, 4K movie 25-50 GB. Hard drives advertised in decimal (1 TB drive = 931 GiB usable).
Convert between bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, and PB. Supports both binary (1024) and decimal (1000) standards. Auto-detect input units, show all equivalents at once, and use common file size presets.
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Tip: You can type values with units like "500 MB" or "2.5 GB"
Common File Sizes
Binary vs Decimal Comparison
| Unit | Binary (IEC) | Decimal (SI) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| KB/KiB | 1,024 bytes | 1,000 bytes | 2.4% |
| MB/MiB | 1,048,576 bytes | 1,000,000 bytes | 4.9% |
| GB/GiB | 1,073,741,824 bytes | 1,000,000,000 bytes | 7.4% |
| TB/TiB | 1,099,511,627,776 bytes | 1,000,000,000,000 bytes | 10% |
Binary vs Decimal: Why It Matters
- Binary (1024): Used by operating systems, RAM, and actual file storage
- Decimal (1000): Used by hard drive manufacturers and network speeds
- A "500 GB" hard drive may show as ~465 GiB in your OS due to this difference
- The difference grows with larger sizes: ~10% at TB scale
How to Use
- Enter your value in the input field
- Click the Calculate/Convert button
- Copy the result to your clipboard
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between binary and decimal bytes?
- Binary (base-1024) uses powers of 1024: 1 KB = 1024 bytes, 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes. Decimal (base-1000) uses powers of 1000: 1 KB = 1000 bytes, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. Operating systems typically use binary, while storage manufacturers use decimal. This is why a "500 GB" hard drive shows as ~465 GB in your OS.
- Why does my hard drive show less space than advertised?
- Hard drive manufacturers use decimal (1000-based) measurements, while operating systems use binary (1024-based). A "1 TB" drive contains 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, but Windows reports this as ~931 GiB because 1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. The ~7% difference grows larger at higher capacities.
- What do KiB, MiB, and GiB mean?
- KiB (kibibyte), MiB (mebibyte), and GiB (gibibyte) are IEC standard terms for binary units: KiB = 1024 bytes, MiB = 1024 KiB, GiB = 1024 MiB. These unambiguous terms distinguish binary (1024-based) from decimal (1000-based) KB, MB, GB. Many systems still use KB/MB/GB for binary values.
- How do I convert GB to MB?
- In binary (computer storage): 1 GB = 1024 MB, so multiply GB by 1024. In decimal (marketing): 1 GB = 1000 MB. For example, 5 GB = 5120 MB (binary) or 5000 MB (decimal). Most operating systems use binary, so 5 GB typically means 5120 MB.
- How much is a petabyte?
- A petabyte (PB) is 1000 terabytes in decimal or 1024 tebibytes in binary. In decimal: 1 PB = 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (1 quadrillion). In binary: 1 PiB = 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes. Major cloud services and data centers measure storage in petabytes.
- What are common file sizes I should know?
- Common reference sizes: Floppy disk = 1.44 MB, CD = 700 MB, DVD = 4.7 GB, Blu-ray = 25-50 GB, USB drives = 8-256 GB typical, SSDs = 256 GB - 4 TB, HDDs = 1-20 TB. Average smartphone photo = 3-5 MB, HD movie = 4-5 GB, 4K movie = 20-100 GB.