Data Storage Converter
Convert between bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB and more. Supports both decimal (SI) and binary (IEC) units with real-world size comparisons.
Updated
What is the Data Storage Converter?
Convert any data storage size between bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, and exabytes — with full support for both decimal (SI) and binary (IEC) unit systems.
Why Use This Converter?
Storage units are confusing. Manufacturers advertise drives in decimal gigabytes (GB = 10⁹), while operating systems report binary gibibytes (GiB = 2³⁰). This creates a 7-10% discrepancy that frustrates users wondering "where did my 500 GB go?"
This tool eliminates the confusion by:
- Converting instantly between all standard units
- Showing both systems side-by-side so you understand the real capacity
- Providing real-world context — see how your data compares to DVDs, Blu-rays, USB drives, and more
- Supporting precise control with adjustable decimal precision
What You Can Convert
| Decimal (SI) | Binary (IEC) | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| KB (kilobyte) | KiB (kibibyte) | Small files, cache sizes |
| MB (megabyte) | MiB (mebibyte) | Documents, MP3s, photos |
| GB (gigabyte) | GiB (gibibyte) | Movies, games, phone storage |
| TB (terabyte) | TiB (tebibyte) | Hard drives, SSDs, NAS |
| PB (petabyte) | PiB (pebibyte) | Data centers, enterprise storage |
| EB (exabyte) | EiB (exbibyte) | Cloud-scale, scientific data |
Perfect For
- System administrators verifying storage capacity
- Developers calculating buffer sizes and bandwidth
- Consumers understanding why their "1 TB" drive shows 931 GiB
- Content creators estimating project storage needs
- IT professionals planning server and backup infrastructure
Enter any value with or without units — like 1.5 GB, 2048, 10.5GiB, or 500 MB — and get instant, accurate conversions.
How it works
Data storage uses two different measurement systems that create persistent confusion:
Decimal (SI) Units — Base 1000
Used by hard drive manufacturers and most commercial marketing. Each step multiplies by 1,000.
| Unit | Factor | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 KB | 1,000 bytes | A short text file |
| 1 MB | 1,000² bytes | A high-resolution photo |
| 1 GB | 1,000³ bytes | A standard DVD |
| 1 TB | 1,000⁴ bytes | A large hard drive |
Binary (IEC) Units — Base 1024
Used by operating systems and memory manufacturers. Each step multiplies by 1,024 (2¹⁰).
| Unit | Factor | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 KiB | 1,024 bytes | Minimum memory allocation |
| 1 MiB | 1,024² bytes | A 3-minute MP3 |
| 1 GiB | 1,024³ bytes | RAM module capacity |
| 1 TiB | 1,024⁴ bytes | Large SSD reported size |
The Conversion Formula
All conversions flow through bytes as the base unit:
bytes = input_value × source_unit_factor
target_value = bytes ÷ target_unit_factor
Example: Convert 500 MB to GiB
- To bytes: 500 MB × 1,000,000 = 500,000,000 bytes
- To GiB: 500,000,000 ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 0.4657 GiB
Why the "Missing Space" Problem Exists
A "1 TB" hard drive contains:
| What | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing claim | 1 × 1,000,000,000,000 | 1,000,000,000,000 bytes |
| Windows reports | ÷ 1,099,511,627,776 | 0.9095 TiB |
| macOS reports | ÷ 1,000,000,000,000 | 1.000 TB |
Windows divides by binary units (TiB), showing ~931 GB. macOS switched to decimal in Snow Leopard, showing 1 TB. Both drives contain identical bytes — just different labels.
Real-World Comparisons
The tool calculates how your data compares to physical media by simple division:
percentage = (your_bytes ÷ media_capacity) × 100
For a 5 GB file on a single-layer DVD (4.7 GiB = 5,043,491,840 bytes):
5,000,000,000 ÷ 5,043,491,840 = 99.1%
The tool shows this fills ~99% of a DVD, or you'd need 1.06 discs.
Precision Handling
Results format dynamically based on magnitude:
| Range | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ≥ 1,000,000 | Locale string, reduced decimals | 1,024.68 GB |
| 1 – 999 | Locale string, full precision | 476.8372 MiB |
| < 1 | Expanded decimals | 0.0009313 TiB |
| Very small/large | Scientific notation | 9.313×10⁻¹⁰ EB |
This ensures readable output without losing accuracy for any use case.
Examples
Convert 500 MB to GB
Convert megabytes to gigabytes using decimal units
Convert 1 TiB to TB
See the difference between binary tebibyte and decimal terabyte
Check if files fit on a DVD
Convert 5.2 GB and see real-world media comparisons
Convert 128 GiB phone storage
Convert binary gibibytes to decimal gigabytes
Large data center capacity
Convert petabytes to exabytes with precision
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between GB and GiB?
What is the difference between GB and GiB?
GB (gigabyte) uses decimal units where 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. GiB (gibibyte) uses binary units where 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes. Operating systems typically display GiB but label it as "GB," causing confusion. A 500 GB drive actually contains about 465 GiB of space.
Why does my 1 TB hard drive only show 931 GB?
Why does my 1 TB hard drive only show 931 GB?
Your drive contains 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (decimal terabytes). Windows divides by 1,099,511,627,776 to get binary tebibytes, showing ~0.909 TiB or 931 "GB." The space isn't missing — it's a unit labeling issue. macOS and Linux now mostly use decimal units, so they show closer to 1 TB.
Which units do hard drive manufacturers use?
Which units do hard drive manufacturers use?
Manufacturers use decimal units (KB, MB, GB, TB) because they produce larger, more marketable numbers. A "4 TB" drive is 4 trillion bytes, not 4 tebibytes. This practice is legally permitted under SI standards but creates consumer confusion.
Which units do operating systems use?
Which units do operating systems use?
Windows traditionally uses binary units but labels them with decimal abbreviations — showing "931 GB" for a 1 TB drive when it means 931 GiB. macOS (since 10.6 Snow Leopard) and most Linux distributions now use decimal units consistently, so a 1 TB drive displays as 1 TB.
What are KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB?
What are KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB?
These are IEC binary prefixes standardized in 1998 to eliminate ambiguity. KiB = kibibyte (2¹⁰), MiB = mebibyte (2²⁰), GiB = gibibyte (2³⁰), TiB = tebibyte (2⁴⁰). They explicitly indicate binary calculation, unlike KB/MB/GB which are often ambiguous.
How do I convert between binary and decimal units?
How do I convert between binary and decimal units?
Enter your value with the source unit (e.g., "500 GiB") and the converter automatically shows all decimal equivalents. The key ratios: 1 GiB = 1.074 GB, 1 TiB = 1.100 TB. For quick mental math, binary units are approximately 7.4% larger than their decimal counterparts.
What is a petabyte and exabyte?
What is a petabyte and exabyte?
A petabyte (PB) is 1,000 terabytes or 1 quadrillion bytes — roughly the storage needed for 500 billion pages of text. An exabyte (EB) is 1,000 petabytes or 1 quintillion bytes. Global internet traffic exceeds 100 EB per month. Data centers and cloud providers work at these scales.
Why are there two different systems?
Why are there two different systems?
Historical accident. Early computers used binary addressing (powers of 2), making 1024 a natural increment. Hard drives, using different technology, naturally organized in decimal thousands. The IEC created binary prefixes in 1998 to clarify, but adoption has been slow and inconsistent.
How accurate is this converter?
How accurate is this converter?
The converter uses JavaScript's double-precision floating-point numbers, accurate to about 15-17 significant digits. For all practical storage calculations, this is exact. Results match IEEE 1541-2002 and IEC 80000-13 standards for binary prefixes.
Can I convert negative or fractional values?
Can I convert negative or fractional values?
Negative values are rejected — storage cannot be negative. Fractional values are fully supported: enter "0.5 TB" or "1.5 GiB" for precise calculations. Scientific notation like "1.5e10" is also accepted.
What is the largest unit supported?
What is the largest unit supported?
Exabytes (EB) and exbibytes (EiB) — approximately 1 quintillion bytes. This covers all current real-world storage needs. The zettabyte (ZB) and yottabyte (YB) exist theoretically but have no practical hardware implementations yet.
How do I use this for bandwidth calculations?
How do I use this for bandwidth calculations?
While this tool focuses on storage, the same units apply. Enter your bandwidth (e.g., "1 Gbps" = 125 MB/s) and convert to data sizes. For time-based calculations: 1 hour at 100 MB/s = 360,000 MB = 351.56 GiB of data transferred.
Why do memory (RAM) and storage use different units?
Why do memory (RAM) and storage use different units?
RAM uses binary units strictly — a "16 GB" module is actually 16 GiB (17.18 billion bytes). Storage historically mixed both, though SSDs now increasingly follow RAM conventions. This tool handles both transparently so you can compare actual capacities.
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