Introduction
File sizes, RAM, and disk capacity use bytes and their multiples — but not always the same multiples. A "gigabyte" on a hard drive label may differ from what your OS reports. Use our Data Storage Converter for accurate conversions.
Binary vs Decimal
Decimal (SI): 1 KB = 1,000 bytes. Used by storage manufacturers.
Binary (IEC): 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes. Used by operating systems and RAM.
Common Units
- Byte (B): 8 bits — smallest practical unit
- Kilobyte (KB): 1,000 or 1,024 bytes depending on context
- Megabyte (MB): Photo, song, small document sizes
- Gigabyte (GB): Movies, games, phone storage
- Terabyte (TB): Hard drives, cloud storage plans
Key Conversions (Binary, 1024-based)
- 1 MB = 1,024 KB
- 1 GB = 1,024 MB = 1,048,576 KB
- 1 TB = 1,024 GB
Why Your 1 TB Drive Shows ~931 GB
Manufacturers use decimal (1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes). Windows uses binary (1 TiB ≈ 1.0995 × 10¹² bytes). 1,000,000,000,000 ÷ 1,073,741,824 ≈ 931 GiB — that's normal, not a missing disk.
Conclusion
Convert file sizes accurately with our GB to MB, MB to GB, and complete data storage converter hub.