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Free Bit and Byte Converter

Instantly convert between bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes — using both decimal (SI) and binary (IEC) prefixes. Everything runs in your browser with no data uploaded.

1 MB = 8,000,000 bits = 1,000,000 bytes

Decimal (SI)

UnitSymbolValueCopy
Bitb8,000,000
ByteB1,000,000
Kilobyte (KB)KB1,000
Megabyte (MB)MB1
Gigabyte (GB)GB0.001
Terabyte (TB)TB1e-6
Petabyte (PB)PB1e-9

Binary (IEC)

UnitSymbolValueCopy
Kibibyte (KiB)KiB976.5625
Mebibyte (MiB)MiB0.9536743164
Gibibyte (GiB)GiB0.0009313226
Tebibyte (TiB)TiB9.094947e-7
Pebibyte (PiB)PiB8.881784e-10

Decimal (SI): Prefixes KB, MB, GB, TB, PB use powers of 1,000 (e.g. 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes). Used by hard drive manufacturers and network speeds.

Binary (IEC): Prefixes KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB, PiB use powers of 1,024 (e.g. 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes). Used by operating systems for RAM and file sizes.

Quick answer

A bit is the smallest unit of digital data — it holds either a 0 or a 1. Eight bits equal one byte. In the decimal (SI) system, one kilobyte is 1,000 bytes and one megabyte is 1,000,000 bytes. In the binary (IEC) system, one kibibyte is 1,024 bytes and one mebibyte is 1,048,576 bytes. To convert from bits to bytes, divide by 8; to go from bytes to bits, multiply by 8. For network speeds measured in megabits per second (Mbps), divide by 8 to get megabytes per second (MB/s).

Formula & method

bytes = bits / 8
  • bits — number of bits (b)
  • bytes — number of bytes (B)

Divide the number of bits by 8 to get bytes.

KB = bytes / 1,000   (SI) — KiB = bytes / 1,024   (IEC)
  • KB — kilobytes (SI decimal)
  • KiB — kibibytes (IEC binary)

Decimal (SI) prefixes use powers of 1,000; binary (IEC) prefixes use powers of 1,024.

Examples

Example 1: 1 MB to bits
Input
1 megabyte (MB)
Result
8,000,000 bits (8 Mb)
Why
1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. Multiply by 8 to convert bytes to bits: 1,000,000 × 8 = 8,000,000 bits.
Example 2: 100 Mbps to MB/s
Input
100 megabits per second (Mbps)
Result
12.5 megabytes per second (MB/s)
Why
100 Mbps = 100,000,000 bits/s. Divide by 8: 100,000,000 ÷ 8 = 12,500,000 bytes/s = 12.5 MB/s.
Example 3: 4 GB to bytes
Input
4 gigabytes (GB)
Result
4,000,000,000 bytes
Why
Using SI decimal: 4 GB = 4 × 1,000,000,000 = 4,000,000,000 bytes.
Example 4: 512 KB to bits
Input
512 kilobytes (KB)
Result
4,096,000 bits
Why
512 KB = 512,000 bytes. Multiply by 8: 512,000 × 8 = 4,096,000 bits.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a bit and a byte?

A bit (b) is the smallest unit of digital information and stores a single binary value — 0 or 1. A byte (B) is made up of 8 bits and is the standard unit for measuring file sizes and memory.

Why does 1 MB mean different things in different contexts?

In the SI decimal system (used by hard drive manufacturers), 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. In the IEC binary system (used by operating systems for RAM and file sizes), 1 MiB (mebibyte) = 1,048,576 bytes. This is why a 500 GB hard drive shows as ~465 GiB in Windows.

How do I convert Mbps to MB/s?

Divide by 8. Internet speeds are measured in megabits per second (Mbps), but file sizes are in megabytes (MB). So a 100 Mbps connection can transfer up to 12.5 MB/s in ideal conditions.

What is the difference between KB and KiB?

KB (kilobyte) is the SI decimal unit where 1 KB = 1,000 bytes. KiB (kibibyte) is the IEC binary unit where 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes. The difference grows significantly at larger scales — 1 TB vs 1 TiB differs by about 99.5 GB.

How many bytes are in a gigabyte?

In the SI decimal system, 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes (10^9). In the IEC binary system, 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes (2^30). Most storage manufacturers use the decimal definition, while operating systems typically report sizes using the binary definition.

Is my data sent to a server when I use this converter?

No. All conversions are calculated directly in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you enter is transmitted to any server.

Sources & references

External references open in a new tab. We are independent and not affiliated with these organizations.

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