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Data Converter

File sizes and storage are measured in bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes, and the numbers come up everywhere: a photo is a few megabytes, a film is a few gigabytes, a phone holds 128 or 256 gigabytes, and a backup drive holds one or two terabytes. The tricky part is that data units do not step by 1,000 the way metres or grams do — computers count in powers of two, so each step up multiplies by 1,024. This free data converter moves between bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes instantly, using 1,024 at every step, the way computers do. Type in a value, pick the unit you have and the unit you want, and the result appears at once, along with the same size in every other unit in the table below. There is nothing to install and nothing to sign up for, and every conversion runs entirely in your browser.

How to Use This Converter

1. Enter your value in the first box. The converter starts with 1024, but you can type any number, including decimals such as 500 or 2.5.
2. Choose the unit you have from the From dropdown — bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, or terabytes. This is the unit your file or drive size is currently in.
3. Choose the unit you want from the To dropdown. The result updates instantly, every time you type or change either dropdown, with no button to press.
4. Read the big result, then check the full table to see the same size in all five units at once. If you need the reverse conversion, tap Swap Units and the two units trade places.

Worked Example

1024 MB = 1 GB. Each step up in the data units multiplies by 1,024: 1 KB is 1,024 bytes, 1 MB is 1,024 KB, and 1 GB is 1,024 MB. So 1,024 MB divided by 1,024 is exactly 1 GB, and the reverse is just as exact: 1 GB = 1024 MB.

500 MB = 0.49 GB. Divide 500 by 1,024 to get 0.48828125 GB, which rounds to 0.49 GB. A 500 MB file therefore takes up just under half a gigabyte. The same division works for any size: 250 MB is about 0.24 GB, and 2,048 MB is exactly 2 GB.

1 TB = 1024 GB. A terabyte is 1,024 gigabytes, which is 1,048,576 megabytes and 1,073,741,824 bytes. That is why a 1 TB drive can hold roughly 250,000 photos of 4 MB each, or about 200 films of 5 GB each. One thing to watch: some storage makers use 1000 instead of 1024, so a drive sold as 1 TB holds 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, which a computer reports as about 931 GB when it divides by 1,024 at each step. The drive is not faulty and no space is missing — the two sides are simply counting with different steps. This tool uses 1024, as computers do, so its answers match what your phone, laptop, or operating system reports.

Tips for Accurate Data Conversions

The most common data mistake is dividing by 1,000 instead of 1,024. That shortcut is only 2.4% off at one step, but the error compounds: after three steps, from bytes to gigabytes, it is over 7% off, which is enough to make a file look like it fits on a drive when it does not. Always use 1,024 when you are matching what a computer reports, and use 1,000 only when you are matching a manufacturer's label.

Remember the ladder by heart: bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, each one 1,024 times the last. To go up the ladder, divide by 1,024; to go down, multiply by 1,024. For rough estimates, 1,000 MB is close to 1 GB and 1,000 GB is close to 1 TB, but use the exact result from the converter before buying storage or deleting files to make room. Also keep bits and bytes apart: internet speeds are usually quoted in megabits per second, and there are 8 bits in a byte, so a 100 megabit connection downloads at most 12.5 megabytes per second. Finally, when you compare plans or drives, convert everything to the same unit first — usually gigabytes — so that a 500 MB allowance, a 2 GB allowance, and a 0.5 TB drive can be judged side by side without the units hiding a tenfold difference.

Frequently Asked Questions