Data Storage Converter

Convert bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB and TB in both systems: decimal (steps of 1,000) and binary (steps of 1,024). The full breakdown table updates as you type.

Decimal vs binary: why drive sizes differ

Drive makers sell capacity in decimal units, where 1 GB is exactly 1,000,000,000 bytes. Operating systems have traditionally counted in binary units, where 1 GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes, and often label that number "GB". So a drive sold as 500 GB holds 500,000,000,000 bytes, which a computer reports as about 465.66 GiB. Nothing is missing: the same bytes are being counted with a bigger unit. The gap grows with size, from about 2.4 percent at KB scale to about 10 percent at TB scale. RAM is the opposite case: memory is manufactured in binary sizes, so 16 GB of RAM is genuinely 16 GiB.

Worked example

A 500 GB drive: 500 x 1,000,000,000 = 500,000,000,000 bytes. Divided by 1,073,741,824 bytes per GiB, that is 465.66 GiB, which is the number your computer shows. Enter 500, choose GB, and read the GiB row in the table.

Frequently asked questions

How many bits are in a byte?

Eight. Internet speeds are sold in bits per second (Mbps), while file sizes are in bytes, so a 100 Mbps connection downloads at most about 12.5 MB per second before overhead.

Which system does this converter use for KB, MB, GB and TB?

Decimal, steps of 1,000, matching how storage is sold and how the SI prefixes are defined. The binary units are listed separately with their proper names: KiB, MiB, GiB and TiB, in steps of 1,024.

Results are provided for general reference. Usable drive space is also reduced slightly by formatting and system partitions.