Data Storage Converter
Convert storage units and compare decimal units like GB and TB with binary units like GiB and TiB. This helps with SSD sizing, cloud storage, NAS planning, backups, and media files.
Decimal vs binary storage
Decimal storage units use powers of 1000. Binary storage units use powers of 1024. That is why 1 TB and 1 TiB are not the same amount of storage.
| Unit | System | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| KB, MB, GB, TB, PB | Decimal | Powers of 1000, commonly used by storage device makers and network/storage marketing. |
| KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB, PiB | Binary | Powers of 1024, often used by operating systems and technical tools. |
| Mb and MB | Different units | Mb means megabit. MB means megabyte. One byte is 8 bits. |
Formula or method
Decimal byte units: 1 KB = 1,000 bytes, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes, 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes.
Binary byte units: 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes, 1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes.
Bits to bytes: bytes = bits / 8.
Worked examples
GB to MB
10 GB equals 10,000 MB in decimal storage units.
GiB vs GB
10 GiB equals about 10.74 GB because binary units are based on 1024 instead of 1000.
Practical use cases
- SSD and hard drive sizing
- NAS and backup planning
- Cloud storage estimates
- Media file storage
- Trail camera and video archive planning
Common mistakes
- Confusing MB with Mb.
- Comparing GB and GiB as if they are identical.
- Forgetting that operating systems may display binary units differently.
- Ignoring filesystem overhead and formatting differences.
Data storage questions
What is the difference between GB and GiB?
GB is decimal and uses powers of 1000. GiB is binary and uses powers of 1024.
Why does my drive look smaller in Windows?
Drive makers usually advertise decimal terabytes, while operating systems and file systems may show binary-style capacity and reserve some space for formatting.
Is MB the same as Mb?
No. MB is megabyte and Mb is megabit. One byte is 8 bits.
Which units should I use for backups?
Use the units your backup software and storage target report, and keep extra headroom.
Does formatting reduce usable capacity?
Yes. Filesystems, snapshots, metadata, and reserved space can reduce usable capacity.
What number should I use?
Use measured inputs first
Start with the actual number from your project, device, network, trip, or equipment label instead of a best guess.
Round in the safer direction
Round up for materials, food, water, storage, and capacity. Round down for runtime when running short would cause trouble.
Check related tools
Use the related calculators on this page to plan the next part of the job instead of treating one result as the whole answer.