Data Storage Converter
Convert file and disk sizes, and see why a “1 TB” drive shows less space on your computer: decimal and binary units are kept clearly separate.
Result
Enter a value to convert.
How to use this calculator
- Enter a value and choose the from and to units.
- Units without an “i” (KB, MB, GB, TB) are decimal; units with an “i” (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB) are binary.
- The table lists the value in every unit.
Formula
- 1 byte = 8 bits
- Decimal (SI): 1 KB = 1,000 bytes, 1 MB = 1,000² bytes, 1 GB = 1,000³ bytes, 1 TB = 1,000⁴ bytes
- Binary (IEC): 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB = 1,024² bytes, 1 GiB = 1,024³ bytes, 1 TiB = 1,024⁴ bytes
Worked example
A “500 GB” drive
500 GB = 500,000,000,000 bytes. Dividing by 1,024³ gives 465.66 GiB, which is what many operating systems display (often labelled “GB”).
1 TB in TiB
1,000⁴ ÷ 1,024⁴ = 0.9095 TiB.
Assumptions and limitations
- Some software labels binary values with decimal names (showing GiB as “GB”). Check which convention your device uses.
- Network speeds are usually quoted in bits per second (Mbps), not bytes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my new hard drive show less space than advertised?
Manufacturers use decimal units (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes) while many operating systems report binary units (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes), so the same capacity looks about 7% smaller.
How many megabytes per second is 100 Mbps?
Divide by 8: 100 megabits per second is 12.5 megabytes per second, before network overhead.