Digital Storage Converter
Convert between bits, bytes, KB, MB, GB, and TB.
Quick reference
- 1 byte = 8 bits
- 1 KB = 1,024 bytes
- 1 MB = 1,024 KB
- 1 GB = 1,024 MB
- 1 TB = 1,024 GB
About this converter
File sizes, drive capacity, and download sizes are all quoted in units that scale by 1,024, not 1,000, which is where a lot of the confusion around "missing" storage space comes from. This converts between bits, bytes, and the KB/MB/GB/TB scale using the binary (1,024-based) convention your operating system almost certainly uses.
That 1,024 number is why a drive marketed as "1 TB" shows up as roughly 931 GB in your file manager. Nothing was lost, the manufacturer is counting in decimal (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, consistent with every other metric prefix) while your OS is counting in binary and just labeling the result "GB" anyway. Two consistent systems, same bytes, different math to get the on-screen number.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this use 1,000 or 1,024 as the multiplier between units?
- 1,024, the binary convention that matches how Windows and macOS report file and drive sizes. That's different from the strict decimal definition (1,000) that appears on storage packaging, which is exactly why a "1 TB" drive shows less than 1 TB free once it's plugged in.
- So is my missing storage space a scam?
- No. It's a labeling mismatch between two legitimate counting systems, not lost data. See the guide on KB vs KiB below for the actual math.
- Why is RAM different?
- RAM capacity is universally quoted in true binary units, because memory is physically addressed in powers of two. "8 GB of RAM" means the same number of bytes everywhere, no ambiguity like with drives.