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Digital Storage Converter

Convert between all standard digital storage units in decimal (SI) and binary (IEC) notation. Supports 42 units from bits and bytes to quettabytes and quebibytes, with reference tables, percent-difference data, and FAQs.

Quick Presets

Gigabyte

1

GB

= 8,000,000,000 bits = 1,000,000,000 bytes

Bits

8,000,000,000

Bytes

1,000,000,000

Megabytes

1,000

Gibibytes

0.9313225746

Decimal (SI) Bits

UnitSymValue
Bitb8,000,000,000
Kilobitkb8,000,000
MegabitMb8,000
GigabitGb8
TerabitTb0.008
PetabitPb8.000000e-6
ExabitEb8.000000e-9
ZettabitZb8.000000e-12
YottabitYb8.000000e-15
RonnabitRb8.000000e-18
QuettabitQb8.000000e-21
ByteB1,000,000,000

Decimal (SI) Bytes

UnitSymValue
ByteB1,000,000,000
KilobytekB1,000,000
MegabyteMB1,000
GigabyteGB1
TerabyteTB0.001
PetabytePB1.000000e-6
ExabyteEB1.000000e-9
ZettabyteZB1.000000e-12
YottabyteYB1.000000e-15
RonnabyteRB1.000000e-18
QuettabyteQB1.000000e-21
Bitb8,000,000,000

Binary (IEC) Bits

UnitSymValue
Bitb8,000,000,000
KibibitKibit7,812,500
MebibitMibit7,629.39453125
GibibitGibit7.4505805969
TebibitTibit0.0072759576
PebibitPibit7.105427e-6
ExbibitEibit6.938894e-9
ZebibitZibit6.776264e-12
YobibitYibit6.617445e-15
RobibitRibit6.462349e-18
QuebibitQibit6.310887e-21
ByteB1,000,000,000

Binary (IEC) Bytes

UnitSymValue
ByteB1,000,000,000
KibibyteKiB976,562.5
MebibyteMiB953.6743164063
GibibyteGiB0.9313225746
TebibyteTiB9.094947e-4
PebibytePiB8.881784e-7
ExbibyteEiB8.673617e-10
ZebibyteZiB8.470329e-13
YobibyteYiB8.271806e-16
RobibyteRiB8.077936e-19
QuebibyteQiB7.888609e-22
Bitb8,000,000,000

Digital Storage Unit Converter

Convert between all standard digital storage units in both decimal (SI) and binary (IEC) notation. This converter supports 42 units — from bits and bytes through kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes all the way to the recently standardized ronnabytes and quettabytes.

Binary prefixes (base 2) use powers of 1,024. For example, 1 kibibyte (KiB) = 1,024 bytes, 1 mebibyte (MiB) = 1,024 KiB, and 1 gibibyte (GiB) = 1,024 MiB. Operating systems like Windows historically report file sizes using binary calculations but display them with metric labels (KB, MB, GB), which is a common source of confusion.

Metric or decimal prefixes (base 10) use powers of 1,000. For example, 1 kilobyte (kB) = 1,000 bytes, 1 megabyte (MB) = 1,000 kB, and 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1,000 MB. Storage manufacturers, network speeds, and the International System of Units (SI) use decimal prefixes.

Metric prefixes in digital storage follow the same convention as standard SI units in physics and engineering — just as 1 kilogram = 1,000 grams and 1 kilometer = 1,000 meters, 1 kilobyte = 1,000 bytes in the decimal system.

How to Convert Digital Storage Units

To convert from a larger binary unit to bytes, multiply the value by the appropriate power of 2 from the binary reference table below. To convert from bytes back to a larger binary unit, divide by that same power. For decimal units, multiply or divide by the appropriate power of 10.

To convert between units in the same system (e.g., GiB to TiB), multiply by the ratio of their conversion factors. To convert across systems (e.g., GiB to GB), first convert to the base unit (bytes or bits), then convert to the target unit.

Example: Convert 5 GiB to Bytes

From the binary bytes reference table, 1 GiB = 2³⁰ bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes. To find how many bytes are in 5 GiB, simply multiply:

diagonal = √(width² + height²) → PPI

5 GiB × 2³⁰ B/GiB = 5 × 1,073,741,824 = 5,368,709,120 B

Therefore, 5 GiB = 5,368,709,120 bytes. Note that 5 GB (decimal) = 5,000,000,000 bytes — that is 368,709,120 bytes fewer, a 7.4% difference.

Cross-System Conversion

To convert between binary and decimal units, chain the conversions through a shared base. For example, to convert 1 GiB to TiB: since 1 GiB = 2³⁰ bytes and 1 TiB = 2⁴⁰ bytes, we get 1 GiB = 2³⁰ ÷ 2⁴⁰ TiB = 2⁻¹⁰ TiB ≈ 0.000977 TiB.

GiB → TiB: multiply by 2³⁰ / 2⁴⁰ = 2⁻¹⁰

1 GiB = 1 × 2⁻¹⁰ TiB ≈ 0.000977 TiB

Example: Exabytes and Unit Cancellation

1 exabyte (EB) = 10¹⁸ bytes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. Conversely, 1 byte = 10⁻¹⁸ EB. The same cancellation principle applies to any pair of units — divide the source unit's bit-equivalent by the target unit's bit-equivalent to obtain the conversion factor.

1 EB = 10¹⁸ B

1 B = 10⁻¹⁸ EB

1 EB = 10¹⁸ bytes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes

Metric (Decimal) Digital Storage Units Reference

Decimal Bits Reference

UnitSymbolBits
Bitb1 = 10⁰
Kilobitkb10³
MegabitMb10⁶
GigabitGb10⁹
TerabitTb10¹²
PetabitPb10¹⁵
ExabitEb10¹⁸
ZettabitZb10²¹
YottabitYb10²⁴
RonnabitRb10²⁷
QuettabitQb10³⁰
ByteB8

Decimal Bytes Reference

UnitSymbolBytes
ByteB1 = 10⁰
KilobytekB10³
MegabyteMB10⁶
GigabyteGB10⁹
TerabyteTB10¹²
PetabytePB10¹⁵
ExabyteEB10¹⁸
ZettabyteZB10²¹
YottabyteYB10²⁴
RonnabyteRB10²⁷
QuettabyteQB10³⁰
Bitb0.125 = 1/8

Binary Digital Storage Units Reference

Binary prefixes were standardized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998 to eliminate the ambiguity of using kilo, mega, and giga for both base-10 and base-2 meanings. The prefixes kibi (Ki), mebi (Mi), gibi (Gi), tebi (Ti), pebi (Pi), and exbi (Ei) are the formally correct terms for powers of 1,024.

Binary Bits Reference

UnitSymbolBits
Bitbit1
KibibitKibit1,024 = 2¹⁰
MebibitMibit2²⁰
GibibitGibit2³⁰
TebibitTibit2⁴⁰
PebibitPibit2⁵⁰
ExbibitEibit2⁶⁰
ZebibitZibit2⁷⁰
YobibitYibit2⁸⁰
Robibit **Ribit2⁹⁰
Quebibit **Qibit2¹⁰⁰
ByteB8 = 2³

Binary Bytes Reference

UnitSymbolBytesMemory *
ByteB1B
KibibyteKiB1,024 = 2¹⁰KB
MebibyteMiB2²⁰MB
GibibyteGiB2³⁰GB
TebibyteTiB2⁴⁰TB
PebibytePiB2⁵⁰
ExbibyteEiB2⁶⁰
ZebibyteZiB2⁷⁰
YobibyteYiB2⁸⁰
Robibyte **RiB2⁹⁰
Quebibyte **QiB2¹⁰⁰
Bitb0.125 = 1/8

Percent Difference: Binary vs. Metric Storage Sizes

The gap between binary and metric units grows with each prefix level. A kibibyte is only 2.4% larger than a kilobyte, but a yobibyte exceeds a yottabyte by 20.9%. This increasing discrepancy is why the distinction matters — especially at the terabyte scale and above, where users notice significant differences between advertised and reported storage.

Binary UnitMetric Equivalent% Difference
1 Byte (B)1.000 Byte (B)0.0%
1 Kibibyte (KiB)1.024 Kilobyte (kB)2.4%
1 Mebibyte (MiB)1.049 Megabyte (MB)4.9%
1 Gibibyte (GiB)1.074 Gigabyte (GB)7.4%
1 Tebibyte (TiB)1.100 Terabyte (TB)10.0%
1 Pebibyte (PiB)1.126 Petabyte (PB)12.6%
1 Exbibyte (EiB)1.153 Exabyte (EB)15.3%
1 Zebibyte (ZiB)1.181 Zettabyte (ZB)18.1%
1 Yobibyte (YiB)1.209 Yottabyte (YB)20.9%

* The Memory column shows the labels historically used by operating systems and hardware. These shorthand labels (KB, MB, GB, TB) actually refer to binary quantities (1 KB = 1,024 bytes), even though they look identical to the decimal SI symbols. The IEC binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB) were introduced in 1998 to resolve this ambiguity, and are increasingly adopted by Linux distributions, GNU utilities, and modern software.

** The robi and quebi prefixes correspond to the 2022 SI prefixes ronna (10²⁷) and quetta (10³⁰). While the binary equivalents (robi = 2⁹⁰, quebi = 2¹⁰⁰) are in use in some technical contexts, they have not yet been formally adopted by the IEC. They are included here for completeness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a kilobyte and a kibibyte?+
A kilobyte (kB) equals exactly 1,000 bytes using the decimal (SI) standard. A kibibyte (KiB) equals 1,024 bytes using the binary (IEC) standard. The difference is 2.4%. In everyday use, 'kilobyte' often informally means 1,024 bytes, but the IEC standard reserves that meaning for 'kibibyte.'
Why does my hard drive show less space than advertised?+
Storage manufacturers measure capacity using decimal units (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), while operating systems like Windows report it using binary math labeled with decimal symbols (1 'TB' = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes). A drive sold as 1 TB therefore shows roughly 931 GB in Windows. The missing space isn't defective — it's a unit-labelling discrepancy.
How many bytes are in a gigabyte?+
In the decimal (SI) system, 1 gigabyte (GB) = 1,000,000,000 bytes (10⁹). In the binary system, 1 gibibyte (GiB) = 1,073,741,824 bytes (2³⁰). The answer depends on which convention is in use.
What is the difference between bits and bytes?+
A bit is the smallest unit of digital information, representing a single binary value (0 or 1). A byte is a group of 8 bits. Storage is typically measured in bytes (kB, MB, GB), while network speeds are usually measured in bits per second (kbps, Mbps, Gbps). To convert bytes to bits, multiply by 8; to convert bits to bytes, divide by 8.
Why are there two different systems for measuring digital storage?+
Computer memory is inherently binary (based on powers of 2), so early computing used 1,024 as a convenient approximation of 1,000. Over time, storage manufacturers adopted the exact SI definition (1 kilo = 1,000). The IEC introduced binary prefixes (kibi, mebi, gibi) in 1998 to eliminate confusion, giving each meaning its own unambiguous name.
What are the largest defined units of digital storage?+
The largest decimal units are the ronnabyte (RB, 10²⁷ bytes) and quettabyte (QB, 10³⁰ bytes), adopted by the SI in 2022. Their binary counterparts are the robibyte (RiB, 2⁹⁰ bytes) and quebibyte (QiB, 2¹⁰⁰ bytes). These scales far exceed current technology — global data creation in 2024 was estimated at about 149 zettabytes.
How do I convert between binary and decimal storage units?+
Convert the source value to the common base unit (bits or bytes) using the appropriate factor, then divide by the target unit's factor. For example, 1 GiB × 2³⁰ = 1,073,741,824 bytes ÷ 10⁹ = 1.074 GB. Our converter does this automatically for all 42 supported units.
What units do operating systems use to display file sizes?+
macOS (since Snow Leopard) and iOS use decimal units: 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Windows uses binary values but labels them with decimal symbols: 1 'GB' = 1,073,741,824 bytes (actually 1 GiB). Linux systems increasingly use IEC binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB) for clarity. This inconsistency is the main source of confusion about storage sizes.

How to use Digital Storage Converter

Simply enter the values in the input fields provided above. Results will update automatically as you type, allowing for instant calculations and side-by-side comparisons.

Our calculators use high-precision mathematical engines to ensure that even the smallest decimal movements are captured accurately.

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