Unit Converters

Data Size Converter

Convert KB, MB, GB and TB.

Value

From unit

To unit

Converted value

0.000977MB

Reference rate1 KB = 0.000977 MB

Note: This tool uses binary (1024) units (KB=1024B, KiB convention), which differ from decimal (1000) based units.

What is data size conversion?

Data size conversion translates a value between bit, byte (B), kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), terabyte (TB) and petabyte (PB). This tool converts every unit through a common byte (B) base using binary (1024) units.

How to use it

Enter a value, choose the from and to units, and the result updates automatically. Use Swap units to flip the two selections.

Result = value × (from-unit bytes) ÷ (to-unit bytes)

Unit reference & notes

Common conversions: 1GB = 1,024MB (binary), 1MB = 1,024KB, 1 byte = 8 bits.

For reference only: manufacturers often use decimal (1000) units while operating systems use binary (1024) units, so displayed and actual usable capacity may differ.

Is KB 1,000 or 1,024? The real reason "1TB = 931GiB" confuses people

The root cause of data-size confusion is that the name "KB" (kilobyte) has referred to two different values at once. In the SI system, "kilo" means 1,000×, but computers operate in binary, where 2¹⁰ = 1,024 is the more natural boundary. To resolve the ambiguity, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) introduced dedicated binary prefixes (KiB = 1,024B, MiB = 1,024²B, GiB = 1,024³B) in 1998 — but in practice, operating systems and software still label things KB/MB/GB while sometimes meaning 1024 and sometimes meaning 1000, so the confusion persists.

This gap is most noticeable in storage device labeling. Hard drive and SSD makers conventionally use decimal (1000) units, so "1TB" means 1,000,000,000,000 bytes — but an OS like Windows computes capacity in binary (1024) and displays that same drive as 931 GiB (1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 1024³ = 931.32). So "I bought a 1TB drive but my computer shows 931GB" isn't a defect or a scam — it's simply two different unit definitions. The gap widens as the unit gets larger.

Decimal (1000) vs. binary (1024) labeling gap
Unit	Binary vs. decimal gap	Example
KB vs KiB	2.40%	1,000B vs 1,024B
MB vs MiB	4.86%	10⁶B vs 1024²B
GB vs GiB	7.37%	10⁹B vs 1024³B
TB vs TiB	9.95%	10¹²B vs 1024⁴B

FAQ

How many MB is 1 GB?

This tool uses binary (1024) units, so 1 GB equals 1,024 MB, or 1,048,576 KB.

How many bits is 1 byte?

1 byte equals 8 bits. Conversely, 1 bit equals 0.125 bytes.

Why do 1000-based and 1024-based units differ?

Storage manufacturers commonly label capacity in decimal (1000) units, while operating systems display binary (1024) GiB units, making usable capacity look smaller. This tool uses binary (1024) units.

Why does a "1TB" drive show up as 931GB on my computer?

Manufacturers label 1TB as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes in decimal (1000) units, while the OS computes capacity in binary (1024), showing 1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 1024³ ≈ 931GiB. The drive isn't defective or short — it's just two different unit definitions.

Why do KiB, MiB and GiB exist separately?

In 1998 the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) created dedicated binary prefixes like KiB = 1,024B to resolve the confusion between 1,024-based (binary) and 1,000-based (decimal) units. In practice, though, software and operating systems still mix KB/MB/GB labeling conventionally.

Why does the decimal-vs-binary gap widen at larger units?

Because 1,024 is 2.4% larger than 1,000, and that gap compounds with each power. The 2.4% difference at the KB level grows to 7.37% at GB and 9.95% at TB.

FAQ

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