Hi! I'm your CalcDigi AI assistant. Ask me anything about calculations, finance, health metrics, or math concepts. Please don't share personal or sensitive information.
Loading…
Data Storage Converter
Convert between bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes. Understand file sizes, storage capacity, and data transfer amounts for computers, phones, and cloud storage.
Digital storage is measured in bytes, with each unit being 1,024 times larger than the previous (in binary, which is how computers actually store data). However, storage manufacturers often use 1,000-based definitions (SI), causing the "missing gigabytes" discrepancy on hard drives.
Common File Size Reference
1 KB: A short text file, one email without attachments
1 MB: A small photo (compressed), 1 minute of music at low quality
1 GB: ~1,000 photos, 250 songs, a 1-hour SD video
1 TB: ~500 hours of HD video, 250,000 photos, or 1 million books
Binary (IEC) vs Decimal (SI) Definitions
In computing, 1 KB = 1,024 bytes (binary). In the SI system, 1 KB = 1,000 bytes (decimal). Hard drive manufacturers use SI (decimal) which is why a 1 TB drive shows only ~931 GB in Windows (which uses binary). This is not fake capacity — it is a unit definition difference.
Unit
Abbreviation
Bytes (Binary)
Byte
B
1
Kilobyte
KB
1,024
Megabyte
MB
1,048,576
Gigabyte
GB
1,073,741,824
Terabyte
TB
1,099,511,627,776
Petabyte
PB
1,125,899,906,842,624
Frequently Asked Questions
1 GB = 1,024 MB (binary, used by operating systems). Storage manufacturers may use 1 GB = 1,000 MB (decimal). This is why a 256 GB phone may show ~238 GB in the operating system.
1 TB = 1,024 GB (binary). A 1 TB hard drive holds about 1,000 GB as shown in Windows/macOS due to the binary conversion. In decimal (as manufacturers measure): 1 TB = 1,000 GB exactly.
MB (megabyte, decimal) = 1,000,000 bytes. MiB (mebibyte, binary) = 1,048,576 bytes. The IEC introduced MiB/GiB/TiB to resolve ambiguity. Most people still use MB/GB loosely to mean the binary version.
A 1 GB storage can hold approximately 250-500 photos (JPEG, 8-12 MP camera at typical compression) or about 100-200 RAW photos. Video: 1 GB holds about 10-20 minutes of 1080p HD video.
1 petabyte (PB) = 1,024 terabytes = 1,000,000 gigabytes. Facebook stores several exabytes (1 EB = 1,024 PB) of data. The entire Library of Congress is estimated at about 10 TB of text.
1 kilobyte = 1,024 bytes (binary, used in computing). In the decimal SI system, 1 kilobyte = 1,000 bytes. The binary definition is more common in computing contexts.