Softonic

Storage Converter

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Enter a storage size and pick its unit, and the converter instantly shows the same amount in bits, bytes, kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), gigabytes (GB), terabytes (TB) and petabytes (PB). Every step is 1024-based: 1 KB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MB = 1,024 KB, and so on, with 1 byte = 8 bits. This is the same binary counting Windows uses when it labels sizes KB, MB and GB, which is why a 1 TB drive sold in decimal terabytes shows up as about 931 GB on this scale.

How storage conversion works

  1. 1

    Enter a value and unit

    Anything from bits to petabytes.

  2. 2

    Converted to bytes

    The value is turned into an exact byte count first, with 1 byte = 8 bits.

  3. 3

    Every unit at once

    The byte count is divided down into bit, byte, KB, MB, GB, TB and PB.

  4. 4

    1024-based throughout

    Each larger unit is 1,024 times the one below it, the binary convention shared with RAM and Windows file sizes.

The scale this converter uses

Every unit is exactly 1,024 times the one below it, and 1 byte is 8 bits.

Unit Symbol Value in bytes Relation to the unit below
Bit bit 0.125 1 byte = 8 bits
Byte byte 1 base unit
Kilobyte KB 1,024 × 1,024
Megabyte MB 1,048,576 × 1,024
Gigabyte GB 1,073,741,824 × 1,024
Terabyte TB 1,099,511,627,776 × 1,024
Petabyte PB 1,125,899,906,842,624 × 1,024

Decimal (SI) vs binary (IEC): why the labels disagree

There are two counting systems for storage. This converter follows the binary (1024-based) values while keeping the everyday KB/MB/GB/TB/PB labels, exactly as Windows does.

Name Decimal (SI) Binary (IEC) name Binary value Difference
kilobyte 10^3 = 1,000 kibibyte (KiB) 2^10 = 1,024 2.4%
megabyte 10^6 = 1,000,000 mebibyte (MiB) 2^20 = 1,048,576 4.9%
gigabyte 10^9 gibibyte (GiB) 2^30 7.4%
terabyte 10^12 tebibyte (TiB) 2^40 10.0%
petabyte 10^15 pebibyte (PiB) 2^50 12.6%

Drive manufacturers use the decimal (left-hand) values because the numbers are bigger. That is why a 1 TB drive (10^12 bytes) reads as roughly 931 GB here and in Windows: this scale divides by 1,024 three times, not by 1,000.

Why the ambiguity exists

Early computer memory was addressed in powers of 2 because that matches how address lines work. Storage manufacturers preferred powers of 10 because the numbers are bigger and more marketable. The IEEE and IEC formalised KiB, MiB and GiB in 1998 to resolve the confusion. More than 25 years later, most software still does not use them consistently, and this tool keeps the familiar KB/MB/GB names rather than the IEC ones.

Where each convention shows up

Convention Context
Decimal (SI) Hard drive, SSD and USB capacities, NAS marketing
Binary RAM (always), Windows file sizes, this converter
Ambiguous Download speeds (Mbps is usually decimal; MB/s is sometimes binary)

Bandwidth vs storage: a common trap

1 gigabit per second (Gbps) = 10^9 bits per second = 125,000,000 bytes per second, which is about 119 MB/s on this binary scale. So a 1 Gbps internet plan does not fill a 1 GB file in one second; it takes closer to 9 seconds, once you account for 8 bits per byte and the decimal bandwidth convention.

File sizes in practice

Item Typical size
Plain text email 2 to 10 KB
Photo (phone JPEG, 12 MP) 3 to 5 MB
Song (MP3 320 kbps, 4 min) about 9.5 MB
Photo (RAW, 24 MP) 30 to 40 MB
Movie (1080p, H.265) 1 to 2 GB
Movie (4K HDR) 15 to 30 GB
Single-player game install 50 to 150 GB

Why Windows says GB but means the binary value

Historical baggage. Windows has labelled binary sizes with the SI suffix names since the 1990s and has never corrected it. macOS switched to true decimal around 2009. Linux command-line tools vary: ls -lh uses binary values with SI labels, while ls -h --si uses true decimal. This converter matches the Windows behaviour: 1024-based values under KB/MB/GB labels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, in decimal bytes (10^12). It just displays as about 931 GB in Windows, and on this converter, because both count in 1024-based steps while labelling them GB. macOS and Linux with --si show 1000 GB, matching the drive label.

It uses 1,024. Each unit is exactly 1,024 times the one below it (1 KB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MB = 1,024 KB, and so on), and 1 byte = 8 bits. Strictly these 1024-based units are the IEC KiB, MiB and GiB, but like Windows the tool keeps the KB, MB and GB names.

RAM is addressed in powers of 2 because the address lines are binary. A 4 GB RAM stick is literally 4 × 2^30 bytes. There is no such thing as a “4 billion byte” RAM stick.

Petabyte (PB) is the largest unit this converter handles. Beyond it come the exabyte (EB, 10^18), zettabyte (ZB, 10^21) and yottabyte (YB, 10^24). Hyperscale cloud providers talk in exabytes for total fleet storage; everyday files never approach those units.

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