Storage Unit Converter
Free online tool to convert between 40 storage units — from bits and bytes to petabytes and pebibits. Supports both SI decimal units (KB = 1,000 bytes) and IEC binary units (KiB = 1,024 bytes). Ideal for developers, sysadmins, and anyone working with file sizes, RAM, or network bandwidth.
How Storage Unit Conversion Works
This converter handles precise conversions using exact decimal and binary multiplication factors. All conversions normalize through a base byte value before being expressed in the target unit. The tool correctly implements both the SI (IEC 80000-13) decimal standard and the IEC binary (IEC 60027-2) standard, ensuring accurate results for all 40 supported units.
Common Applications
Storage unit conversion is essential in many technical and everyday scenarios:
- ✓Plan storage infrastructure — convert GB to TB for NAS, backup systems and cloud deployments
- ✓Calculate network bandwidth consumption — convert Mbps to GB/day to estimate data transfer costs
- ✓Understand hardware specs — compare GiB vs GB to resolve confusion between OS-reported and manufacturer-advertised sizes
- ✓Debug embedded systems and IoT devices where byte-level precision matters between KB and KiB
- ✓Compare cloud storage pricing across providers that use different unit standards (SI vs IEC binary)
SI vs IEC Binary: Technical Standards
Understanding the two competing standards is critical to avoid errors in storage calculations:
- •SI / Decimal units (KB, MB, GB, TB): 1 KB = 1,000 bytes — defined by IEC 80000-13, used by hard drive manufacturers and network providers
- •IEC / Binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB): 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes — defined by IEC 60027-2, used by operating systems for RAM and file system reporting
- •The gap grows with scale: 1 TB (SI) ≈ 0.909 TiB (binary) — a 1 TB drive shows ~931 GiB in Windows or macOS
- •40 units supported: from Bit and Byte through Kilobyte, Megabyte, Gigabyte, Terabyte, Petabyte and all IEC binary equivalents
All Supported Units
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between MB and MiB?
MB (Megabyte) is an SI unit: 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. MiB (Mebibyte) is an IEC binary unit: 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes. The difference (~4.9%) is small at low scales but becomes significant at GB and TB ranges.
Why does my 1 TB hard drive show less space on my computer?
Hard drive manufacturers use SI units: 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) display storage in binary units: 1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. So 1 TB ≈ 931 GiB — the drive is not missing storage, it's a unit standard difference.
How do I convert Mbps to MB/s?
Divide by 8: 1 Megabit = 0.125 Megabytes (since 1 byte = 8 bits). So a 100 Mbps connection can transfer about 12.5 MB per second at peak speed.
Which standard should I use: KB or KiB?
For file sizes and disk storage: KB (SI, 1,000 bytes). For RAM specifications and programming byte buffers: KiB (IEC binary, 1,024 bytes) is technically correct. Modern standards (IEC 60027-2) reserve 'K' for 1,000 and 'Ki' for 1,024 to eliminate ambiguity.