Enter a Size
Decimal units (KB, MB, GB…) count by thousands; binary (KiB, MiB, GiB…) by 1024.
In All Units
| Unit | Value |
|---|
About this data storage converter
Drive makers and internet providers count storage in decimal units: a gigabyte is one billion bytes. Operating systems such as Windows traditionally report sizes in binary units of 1024, but label them “GB”. That mismatch is why a brand-new “1 TB” drive shows about 931 GB in Windows — nothing is missing, the two sides just count differently.
This converter handles both families: decimal KB/MB/GB/TB/PB and binary KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB. Enter any size and see every equivalent at once.
Practical example: many US internet plans cap monthly data at 1.2 TB — that is 1,200 GB in decimal terms. A smartphone with 256 GB holds roughly 50,000 photos or about 50 hours of HD video, while a 4K movie can run 50–100 GB. If your plan, your device and your files all quote different units, this converter puts them on the same scale in one step.
Common storage conversions
| This size | Equals | Where you meet it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 1,000 MB | Drive labels and internet plans (decimal) |
| 1 GB | 0.93 GiB | What Windows shows for a 1 GB file |
| 5 MB | 5,000 KB | A typical photo at high quality |
| 1 TB | 1,000 GB | Hard drive and SSD capacities |
| 1 TB | 931 GiB | A “1 TB” drive as reported by Windows |
| 4.7 GB | 4,700 MB | An hour of HD video |
Decimal vs binary units
Decimal units multiply by 1,000: 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Binary units multiply by 1,024: 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes — about 7.4% more. That is exactly the gap between a labeled terabyte and the 931 GiB Windows displays.
Since 1998 the IEC names KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB reserve KB/MB/GB for decimal use, but everyday software still mixes the labels, so checking both is the safe habit.
A handy rule of thumb: to go from binary to decimal, add about 7% (1 GiB ≈ 1.074 GB); to go from decimal to binary, subtract about 7% (1 TB ≈ 931 GiB). So a “2 TB” backup drive shows ≈ 1.82 TiB in Windows, and a “4 TB” one shows ≈ 3.64 TiB.
How to convert a storage size
- Type the value: Any size: a file, a drive, a monthly data cap.
- Pick the unit: Decimal KB–PB or binary KiB–TiB, whichever your source uses.
- Read every equivalent: The table lists the same size in all ten units.
FAQ
How many MB are in 1 GB?
1,000 MB by the decimal definition used by drive makers and networks. In binary units, 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB.
Why does my 1 TB drive show 931 GB in Windows?
The drive holds 1,000,000,000,000 decimal bytes. Windows divides by 1,024³ and calls the result GB, getting about 931 GiB. The space is all there — only the counting differs.
Is a KiB the same as a KB?
No. A KiB (kibibyte) is 1,024 bytes; a KB (kilobyte) is 1,000 bytes. The difference grows with scale: a TiB is about 10% larger than a TB.
Which unit do internet speeds and data caps use?
Data caps are usually decimal gigabytes. Speeds use bits, not bytes: 100 Mbps is 12.5 MB/s, so a 1 GB download takes about 80 seconds on a 100 Mbps line.