Data Storage Converter

Convert between bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, PB, and EB digital storage units quickly and accurately.

Data Storage Converter tool

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Example

Input: 500 gigabytes (GB) to gibibytes (GiB)

Result: 465.661287 GiB

1 GB = 10^9 bytes but 1 GiB = 2^30 = 1,073,741,824 bytes, so 500 x 10^9 / 2^30 = 465.66 GiB - why a 500 GB drive shows about 465 GB in Windows.

Advertised Drive Sizes in Binary Units

Advertised sizeBytesGiBTiB
128 GB128,000,000,000119.210.12
256 GB256,000,000,000238.420.23
500 GB500,000,000,000465.660.45
512 GB512,000,000,000476.840.47
1 TB1,000,000,000,000931.320.91
2 TB2,000,000,000,0001,862.651.82
4 TB4,000,000,000,0003,725.293.64
8 TB8,000,000,000,0007,450.587.28

GiB and TiB are what Windows reports as GB and TB. Rounded to 2 decimal places.

  1. Select the data storage unit you want to convert from (bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, PB, EB, or a binary unit such as MiB or GiB).
  2. Enter the storage amount in the input field.
  3. View instant conversions to all other digital storage units displayed below.
  4. Compare the decimal (SI) results such as GB with the binary (IEC) results such as GiB, which are listed side by side.
  5. Copy the converted value you need for storage planning, file size estimates, or technical documentation.

Why a 1 TB Drive Shows 931 GB

In decimal units, 1 GB is 1,000 MB and 1 TB is 1,000 GB. In binary units, 1 GiB is 1,024 MiB. This converter covers both systems. It handles bytes up to exabytes (KB, MB, GB, TB, PB, EB) and the binary units kibibytes up to exbibytes (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB, PiB, EiB).

Two systems exist because computers count in powers of 2. For years, "kilobyte" loosely meant 1,024 bytes. Standards bodies later gave the binary sizes their own names, with an "i" in the middle. The decimal names went back to their plain meaning of 1,000.

This is why a new drive seems to shrink. A 1 TB drive holds 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Windows shows that as 931 GB because it divides by 1,024 but still writes "GB". Nothing is lost, it is just a different unit. The table on this page shows the same effect for common drive sizes. Recent versions of macOS use decimal units, so the drive shows as 1 TB there.

Also watch the difference between bits and bytes. Internet speeds are sold in megabits per second (Mbps), and a byte is 8 bits. So a 100 Mbps line downloads at most 12.5 MB each second. If you work with raw binary values, the Number Base Converter shows any number in binary or hex.

Formula / How It Works

1 KB = 1,000 bytes | 1 MB = 1,000 KB | 1 GB = 1,000 MB | 1 TB = 1,000 GB | 1 PB = 1,000 TB | 1 EB = 1,000 PB

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

In decimal units, 1 GB is 1,000 MB. In binary units, 1 GiB is 1,024 MiB. Drive makers and most file sizes on the web use decimal units. Windows and many older programs count in binary but still write "GB". So 1 GB is only about 953.67 MiB.
Nothing is missing. The maker sells 1 TB as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Windows divides that by 1,024 three times, gets 931.32, and labels it "GB" when it is really GiB. Recent versions of macOS count in decimal units, so the same drive shows as about 1 TB there.
A megabyte (MB) is 1,000,000 bytes, while a mebibyte (MiB) is 1,048,576 bytes, which is 2 to the power of 20. The binary names with an "i" were created so the two could be told apart. The gap grows with each step: about 2.4 percent at KB and nearly 10 percent at TB.
Divide by 8, because there are 8 bits in a byte. A 100 Mbps connection moves at most 12.5 MB per second, and real downloads are usually a bit slower. Note the small b for bits and capital B for bytes. This converter works in bytes only.
After terabytes come petabytes (1,000 TB), exabytes (1,000 PB), zettabytes and yottabytes, each 1,000 times larger. The binary series runs in steps of 1,024: tebibytes, pebibytes, exbibytes and so on. This converter goes up to exabytes and exbibytes.

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