Byte Conversion Calculator
Convert between digital storage units: bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes. Perfect for file sizes, storage capacity, and data transfer planning.
What is the difference between decimal and binary byte units?
Decimal (SI) units use powers of 1000: 1 KB = 1000 bytes, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. Binary (IEC) units use powers of 1024: 1 KiB = 1024 bytes, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes. Hard drive manufacturers use decimal, so a 500 GB drive = 500,000,000,000 bytes = about 465 GiB. RAM is measured in binary (8 GB = 8 GiB). This calculator uses decimal (SI) units for simplicity since most operating systems use decimal for file sizes. For binary precision, divide by 1.024 per step.
How do I convert between byte units?
To convert between byte units, multiply or divide by 1024 for binary (IEC) or 1000 for decimal (SI). Using decimal: bytes to KB: divide by 1000. KB to MB: divide by 1000. GB to TB: divide by 1000. Reverse: multiply by 1000. Examples: 2 GB = 2,000 MB = 2,000,000 KB = 2,000,000,000 bytes. 500 MB = 0.5 GB = 500,000 KB. 1 TB = 1,000 GB = 1,000,000 MB. For quick estimates: 1 GB ≈ 1000 MB, 1 TB ≈ 1000 GB, 1 PB ≈ 1000 TB.
How many bytes are in a kilobyte: 1000 or 1024?
There is ongoing debate: In decimal (SI), 1 kilobyte (KB) = 1000 bytes. This is used by hard drive and SSD manufacturers. In binary (IEC), 1 kibibyte (KiB) = 1024 bytes. This is used by RAM and some operating systems. Most modern operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) display file sizes in decimal KB/MB/GB. However, RAM size is always binary (8 GB RAM = 8 GiB = 8,589,934,592 bytes). This calculator uses decimal (1000) by default. To get binary values, use KiB, MiB, GiB notation.
What are common file sizes in bytes?
Common file sizes for reference: Text file: 1-10 KB (1000-10,000 bytes). Email (no attachment): 5-20 KB. High-res photo (JPEG): 3-10 MB. High-res photo (RAW): 20-50 MB. MP3 song (3 min): 5-10 MB. PDF document: 1-10 MB. Smartphone video (1 min 1080p): 100-200 MB. Movie (HD, 2 hours): 4-8 GB. Movie (4K, 2 hours): 15-50 GB. Game installation: 20-100 GB. Operating system: 10-30 GB. Cloud storage plans: 15 GB free (Google) to 1-2 TB (paid). These sizes help estimate storage needs.