Data Storage Converter
Convert between data storage units. Toggle between SI (1000) and binary (1024) bases.
Base:
Convert between data storage units. Toggle between SI (1000) and binary (1024) bases.
Enter a value in any field and all other data units update in real time. Use the toggle to switch between binary (1024-based, used by operating systems) and SI (1000-based, used by storage manufacturers). This distinction is important because a "500 GB" hard drive formatted by your OS will show approximately 465 GiB due to the different base calculations.
In computing, one kilobyte traditionally means 1024 bytes (binary), but the SI definition uses 1000 bytes. Hard drive manufacturers use SI units, making drives appear larger on the box than in your file manager. The IEC introduced terms like kibibyte (KiB) and mebibyte (MiB) for binary units, but the older terminology persists in everyday use.
A bit is the smallest unit of data, representing a 0 or 1. Eight bits make one byte. From there, each step up multiplies by either 1000 (SI) or 1024 (binary). A typical text email is a few kilobytes. A high-resolution photo is several megabytes. A movie can be several gigabytes. Enterprise storage systems deal in terabytes and petabytes.
When buying storage devices, use this converter to understand actual usable capacity. A 1 TB drive holds about 931 GiB of actual data in binary terms. Cloud storage providers may use either convention. Understanding these conversions helps you plan storage needs accurately for backups, media libraries, databases, and server infrastructure.