Data Storage & Transfer Speed Converter
Convert file and drive sizes (MB, GB, TB, GiB) and network speeds (Mbps, MB/s). Decimal and binary prefixes are kept separate, so you can see why a 1 TB drive shows up as 931 GB. Pick a tab — each has its own linkable page.
Real-World Benchmarks
Multi-Unit Conversion Matrix
| Group | Measurement | Symbol | Equivalent Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bits | Bit | bit | 8.0000E12 |
| Bits | Kilobit | kb | 8.0000E9 |
| Bits | Megabit | Mb | 8,000,000 |
| Bits | Gigabit | Gb | 8,000 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Byte | B | 1.0000E12 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Kilobyte | KB | 1.0000E9 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Megabyte | MB | 1,000,000 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Gigabyte | GB | 1,000 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Terabyte | TB | 1 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Petabyte | PB | 0.001 |
| Decimal (SI · 1000) | Exabyte | EB | 1.0000E-6 |
| Binary (IEC · 1024) | Kibibyte | KiB | 9.7656E8 |
| Binary (IEC · 1024) | Mebibyte | MiB | 953,674.3164 |
| Binary (IEC · 1024) | Gibibyte | GiB | 931.3226 |
| Binary (IEC · 1024) | Tebibyte | TiB | 0.9095 |
| Binary (IEC · 1024) | Pebibyte | PiB | 0.0009 |
| Binary (IEC · 1024) | Exbibyte | EiB | 8.6736E-7 |
Step-by-Step Mathematical Explanation
- Step 1: Convert 1 TB to the base unit (B): 1 × 1,000,000,000,000 = 1.0000E12 B.
- Step 2: Convert base bytes to gibibytes: 1.0000E12 ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 931.322575 GiB.
- Direct factor: 1 TB = 931.32257462 GiB.
Essential Conversion Factors
Terabyte: 1,000 GB — hard drives and SSDs
Quick Answer & Key Data Conversions
Direct Answer: In decimal (SI) units, 1 GB = 1,000 MB and 1 TB = 1,000 GB. In binary (IEC) units, 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB, so a 1 TB drive holds 931.3 GiB. For speeds, divide megabits by 8 to get megabytes: MB/s = Mbps ÷ 8, so a 100 Mbps connection downloads at 12.5 MB/s at most.
Understanding Digital Units & Conversion Math
Computers count in bits (b) and bytes (B = 8 bits). Two prefix systems coexist: decimal SI prefixes (kilo = 1,000) used by drive makers and networks, and binary IEC prefixes (kibi = 1,024) used by RAM and many operating systems. Mixing them up causes most "missing space" and "slow download" confusion.
1. Storage: Gigabytes to Megabytes (GB → MB)
Decimal prefixes step by 1,000, so multiply by 1,000 per step:
Example: 2.5 GB × 1,000 = 2,500 MB.
2. Speed: Megabits to Megabytes per Second (Mbps → MB/s)
Internet speeds are sold in bits; download bars show bytes. Divide by 8 bits per byte:
Example: 500 Mbps ÷ 8 = 62.5 MB/s.
Decimal vs Binary at a Glance
Each binary step is 2.4% larger than the decimal one at kilo, 4.9% at mega, 7.4% at giga and 10% at tera — the gap grows with every prefix:
A 500 GB SSD holds 500 × 10⁹ bytes ÷ 1,024³ = 465.7 GiB.
Key Digital Units at a Glance
| Unit | Bytes | Binary Counterpart | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Byte (B) | 1 | — | One text character |
| 1 Kilobyte (KB) | 1,000 | 1 KiB = 1,024 B | Short text file |
| 1 Megabyte (MB) | 1,000,000 | 1 MiB = 1,048,576 B | Photo or song |
| 1 Gigabyte (GB) | 10⁹ | 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 B | Movie, app, mobile data plan |
| 1 Terabyte (TB) | 10¹² | 1 TiB = 1.0995 × 10¹² B | Hard drive or SSD |
| 1 Petabyte (PB) | 10¹⁵ | 1 PiB = 1.1259 × 10¹⁵ B | Enterprise storage |
Mbps to MB/s Chart (Internet Speed)
| Mbps | MB/s |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.125 |
| 2.5 | 0.313 |
| 5 | 0.625 |
| 10 | 1.25 |
| 20 | 2.5 |
| 25 | 3.125 |
| 30 | 3.75 |
| 50 | 6.25 |
| 75 | 9.375 |
| 100 | 12.5 |
| 150 | 18.75 |
| 200 | 25 |
| 250 | 31.25 |
| 300 | 37.5 |
| 500 | 62.5 |
| 940 | 117.5 |
| 1,000 | 125 |
| 2,500 | 312.5 |
| 10,000 | 1,250 |
Gbps to MB/s Chart
| Gbps | MB/s |
|---|---|
| 1 | 125 |
| 2.5 | 312.5 |
| 5 | 625 |
| 10 | 1,250 |
| 25 | 3,125 |
| 40 | 5,000 |
| 100 | 12,500 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1 GB 1,000 MB or 1,024 MB?
Officially, 1 GB = 1,000 MB (SI prefix). The 1,024-based unit is the gibibyte (GiB) = 1,024 MiB. Windows still labels GiB values as "GB", which is why both numbers circulate.
What is the difference between Mb and MB?
A lowercase b means bits and an uppercase B means bytes. 1 MB (megabyte) = 8 Mb (megabits). Internet plans are sold in Mbps; file sizes and download counters use MB.
Why does my 1 TB drive only show 931 GB?
The drive holds exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Windows divides by 1,024³ and reports 931.32 "GB" (really GiB). No space is missing — only the unit differs.
How many MB/s is a 1 Gbps connection?
1 Gbps ÷ 8 = 125 MB/s (about 119 MiB/s). Real-world downloads are usually 5–10% lower because of protocol overhead.