Converter category
Data Storage Converter
Convert between bits, bytes, kilobits, kilobytes, megabits, megabytes, gigabits, gigabytes, terabits, terabytes, petabytes, pebibytes, kibibytes, mebibytes, and gibibytes.
Universal Data Storage Converter
About data storage conversions
Data storage conversions help you understand file sizes, memory capacity, hard drive space, and cloud storage plans. Our data storage converter covers bits and bytes, decimal prefixes such as kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes, and binary prefixes including kibibytes, mebibytes, gibibytes, and pebibytes. It also converts between bits and bytes for network and file-transfer calculations. Whether you are comparing phone storage, buying a hard drive, or calculating download sizes, this converter gives accurate results using the correct base-1000 or base-1024 definitions.
Most popular data storage conversions
Available units
Popular data storage conversions (16 total)
Unit definitions
Bit (bit)
A bit is the smallest unit of digital information, representing a single binary value (0 or 1).
Origin: Coined by mathematician John Tukey in 1948 as a contraction of 'binary digit'.
Current use: Digital storage, Data transmission, Computing
Byte (B)
A byte is 8 bits and represents a single character of text. The standard unit for measuring digital storage.
Origin: Historically varied from 1-8 bits. Standardized to 8 bits by IBM in 1964.
Current use: File sizes, Memory addressing, Character encoding
Kilobit (kbit)
A kilobit is 1000 bits, commonly used for measuring data transfer rates.
Origin: Metric prefix kilo- means 1000, adopted from the metric system.
Current use: Network speeds, Data transmission, Telecommunications
Kilobyte (KB)
A kilobyte is 1000 bytes or 8000 bits. Often used for small file sizes.
Origin: Before 1998, a kilobyte sometimes meant 1024 bytes (binary kilobyte). Standardized to 1000 in 1998.
Current use: Small documents, Email attachments, Text files
Megabit (Mbit)
A megabit is 1 million bits. Often used for internet speed measurements.
Origin: Metric prefix mega- means 1 million.
Current use: Internet speeds, Streaming quality, Network protocols
Megabyte (MB)
A megabyte is 1 million bytes or 8 million bits. A typical MP3 file is about 3-4 MB.
Origin: Megabyte is commonly used for file sizes and storage capacity.
Current use: Digital photos, Music files, Software distribution
Gigabit (Gbit)
A gigabit is 1 billion bits. Used for high-speed networking and data centers.
Origin: Metric prefix giga- means 1 billion.
Current use: Fiber optic networks, Data centers, High-speed links
Gigabyte (GB)
A gigabyte is 1 billion bytes or about 1.07 billion bits. Standard unit for smartphone storage.
Origin: Gigabyte became common with the advent of personal computers and digital media.
Current use: Smartphone storage, USB drives, DVD movies
Terabit (Tbit)
A terabit is 1 trillion bits. Used for measuring massive data transfers.
Origin: Metric prefix tera- means 1 trillion.
Current use: Backbone networks, Data center interconnects, Research networks
Terabyte (TB)
A terabyte is 1 trillion bytes or 8 trillion bits. Used for large-scale storage.
Origin: Terabyte drives became consumer-available in the mid-2000s.
Current use: Hard drives, Cloud storage, Video libraries
Petabit (Pbit)
A petabit is 125 terabytes or 1 quadrillion bits.
Origin: Metric prefix peta- means 1 quadrillion.
Current use: Large data centers, Research networks, Global internet traffic
Petabyte (PB)
A petabyte is 1 quadrillion bytes (125 terabytes). Massive data storage scale.
Origin: Entered mainstream usage in the 2010s with big data and cloud computing.
Current use: Enterprise storage, Data lakes, Streaming services
Kibibyte (KiB)
A kibibyte is 1024 bytes (2^10). Binary prefix kibi- means 1024.
Origin: Introduced by IEC in 1998 to replace metric prefixes in computing contexts.
Current use: Linux file sizes, Memory addressing, Embedded systems
Mebibyte (MiB)
A mebibyte is 1,048,576 bytes (2^20). Binary prefix mebi- means 1,048,576.
Origin: Introduced by IEC in 1998 to replace metric prefixes in computing contexts.
Current use: Operating system memory, RAM calculations, Software specifications
Gibibyte (GiB)
A gibibyte is 1,073,741,824 bytes (2^30). Binary prefix gibi- means 1,073,741,824.
Origin: Introduced by IEC in 1998 to replace metric prefixes in computing contexts.
Current use: RAM modules, Game installations, Memory addressing
Pebibyte (PiB)
A pebibyte is 2^50 bytes = 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes (about 1.13 quadrillion).
Origin: Introduced by IEC in 1998 to replace metric prefixes in computing contexts.
Current use: Enterprise storage, Data centers, Cloud storage
Common uses for data storage conversions
Data storage conversions are used when buying hard drives, SSDs, and memory cards, managing cloud storage, estimating file sizes, and comparing network speeds.
Frequently asked questions about data storage
How many bytes are in 1 megabyte?+
In decimal usage, 1 megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes. In binary usage, 1 mebibyte is 1,048,576 bytes.
What is the difference between MB and MiB?+
MB uses decimal prefixes based on powers of 1000. MiB uses binary prefixes based on powers of 1024. Operating systems often display binary sizes while storage manufacturers use decimal sizes.
Which data storage units does this converter support?+
It supports bits, bytes, decimal prefixes, and binary prefixes for data storage — over 15 units in total.