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Converters

Data Storage Converter

Convert file and storage sizes. The important distinction here is decimal against binary: a kilobyte is 1,000 bytes and a kibibyte is 1,024. Drive manufacturers quote decimal, most operating systems report binary, and that difference is why a “1 TB” drive shows as 931 GB.

megabytes to gigabytes

0.001 GB

1 MB converted

1 MB equals
0.001 GB
Conversion factor
Exact by definition

Worth knowing

  • Decimal units (kB, MB, GB) are powers of 1000 and binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB) are powers of 1024. Storage manufacturers quote decimal; most operating systems report binary. Both are listed here so you can convert between them deliberately.

How to use this tool

  1. Enter the size you want to convert.
  2. Choose the units. Decimal units are labelled with their power of 1000, binary units with their power of 1024.

Formula and method

decimal:  1 kB = 1,000 B      1 MB = 1,000 kB
binary:   1 KiB = 1,024 B     1 MiB = 1,024 KiB

The binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB) were introduced precisely to end this ambiguity, though most operating systems still display binary sizes using the decimal names.

Worked examples

Why a 1 TB drive shows as 931 GB

  1. The manufacturer means 1,000,000,000,000 bytes
  2. The operating system divides by 1024 three times
  3. 1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 1024³ = 931.32

931 GiB — the drive is not faulty, the two sides are using different units.

Notes and limitations

  • Decimal units (kB, MB, GB, TB) are powers of 1,000. Binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB) are powers of 1,024. The gap widens with size: about 2.4% at kilobytes, nearly 10% at terabytes.
  • Storage manufacturers use decimal units. Windows reports binary sizes but labels them GB, which is the source of most confusion about missing capacity.
  • A byte is eight bits. Network speeds are quoted in bits per second and file sizes in bytes, so a 100 Mbps connection downloads at about 12.5 MB/s at best.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my 1 TB drive show less than 1 TB?

The manufacturer counts 1 TB as one trillion bytes. Your operating system divides by 1,024 rather than 1,000 at each step, giving 931. No space is missing — the two are using different definitions of the same abbreviation.

What is the difference between MB and MiB?

A megabyte (MB) is 1,000,000 bytes. A mebibyte (MiB) is 1,048,576 bytes, about 4.9% larger. The binary prefixes exist specifically to remove this ambiguity.

How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?

1,000 in decimal units. If you mean gibibytes to mebibytes, it is 1,024.

Why is my internet speed slower than advertised?

Partly because speeds are quoted in megabits and file sizes in megabytes. Eight bits make a byte, so a 100 Mbps line tops out around 12.5 MB/s before any real-world overhead.

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