| Standard | Base | Units | Used By |
|---|---|---|---|
| IEC Binary | 1024 | KiB/MiB/GiB/TiB/PiB | OS, RAM |
| SI Decimal | 1000 | KB/MB/GB/TB/PB | Storage vendors, bandwidth |
β’ 1 KB = 1024 B (binary) or 1 KB = 1000 B (decimal)
β’ 1 MB = 1024 KB β 1 million bytes
β’ 1 GB = 1024 MB β 1 billion bytes
β’ 1 TB = 1024 GB β 1 trillion bytes
β’ 1 PB = 1024 TB β 1 quadrillion bytes
This file size converter is easy to use with real-time conversion:
Enter Value: Type the number to convert in the "Input Value" field, e.g., 1024. Decimals are supported, e.g., 0.5, 3.14.
Select Unit: Choose the unit corresponding to your input value in the "Input Unit" dropdown, e.g., MB. The tool automatically converts the input to all other units.
Switch Base: Select "Binary (1024)" for IEC standard (KiB/MiB/GiB) or "Decimal (1000)" for SI standard (KB/MB/GB). Results update in real-time when switching.
Copy & Swap: Click "Copy Result" to copy all conversions to clipboard, or "Swap Unit" to swap the input unit with the largest unit.
Hard Drive Capacity: When buying a hard drive, the manufacturer labels 500GB (decimal), but Windows shows about 465GB (binary). This tool helps you quickly convert and understand the difference.
Bandwidth Estimation: A 100Mbps connection downloads at about 12.5MB/s. Use this tool to convert bits to bytes and estimate actual download speeds.
Cloud Storage Planning: When planning cloud server storage, you need to convert between different units, e.g., converting application data from GB to TB to evaluate storage costs.
IEC Standard: In 1998, the IEC introduced KiB, MiB, GiB and other binary units with the "i" prefix to distinguish from SI decimal units. 1 KiB = 1024 bytes, 1 KB = 1000 bytes. However, due to historical convention, operating systems still use KB to mean 1024 bytes.
Bits vs Bytes: 1 byte (B) = 8 bits (b). Network bandwidth is typically measured in bits (e.g., 100Mbps), while file sizes are measured in bytes (e.g., 100MB). Note the case: B is byte, b is bit.
Larger Units: Beyond PB, there are EB (exabyte), ZB (zettabyte), YB (yottabyte), each 1024 times larger. 1 YB is approximately a trillion GB. Global data volume is currently at the ZB level.
It depends on which standard you use. In the binary standard (IEC), 1KB = 1024 bytes. In the decimal standard (SI), 1KB = 1000 bytes. Operating systems typically use the binary standard (1024), while hard drive manufacturers typically use the decimal standard (1000).
Because hard drive manufacturers use the decimal standard (1GB = 10^9 bytes = 1000MB), while operating systems use the binary standard (1GB = 2^30 bytes = 1024MB). For example, a 500GB hard drive shows about 465GB in the system. The different calculation methods cause the displayed capacity to be less than the labeled capacity.
KB is a decimal unit (1KB = 1000 bytes), KiB is a binary unit (1KiB = 1024 bytes). The IEC standard introduced KiB, MiB, GiB and other units with the 'i' prefix to distinguish binary usage from SI decimal units.
This tool supports conversion from bytes (B) to petabytes (PB), covering B, KB/KiB, MB/MiB, GB/GiB, TB/TiB, PB/PiB β a total of 6 unit levels.