Byte Size Unit Converter
Convert between data units — bits, bytes, and their kilo, mega and giga multiples.
Bits, bytes and their multiples
Data is measured in bits and bytes and their larger multiples, and the units are easy to muddle — especially bits versus bytes, which differ by a factor of eight. This converts between them all, so you can move between bits and bytes, or scale up through kilo, mega and giga, without tripping over the factors.
Enter a data size and see it across the units.
The bits-versus-bytes trap in internet speeds
The classic real-world confusion is internet speed. Connection speeds are advertised in megabits per second, but files download in megabytes, and since a byte is eight bits, a hundred-megabit connection downloads at only around twelve and a half megabytes per second — an eightfold difference that makes people think their connection is underperforming when it is not. Storage is in bytes, bandwidth is in bits, and keeping the two straight explains a lot of apparent mysteries about why downloads take as long as they do.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a bit and a byte?
A byte is eight bits. Mixing them up is the most common data-unit mistake, differing by a factor of eight.
Why is my download slower than my connection speed?
Because speeds are quoted in megabits but files are in megabytes — eight bits to a byte, so the megabyte rate is about an eighth of the megabit speed.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The conversion happens in your browser.