Memory Storage Unit Converter
Convert between memory and storage units: bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, petabytes, and their binary (IEC) equivalents.
Enter a value and select units to convert.
Formula
All conversions use bits as the universal base unit:
- Step 1 — to bits:
bits = value × bitsPerUnit(fromUnit) - Step 2 — to target:
result = bits ÷ bitsPerUnit(toUnit)
Bits-per-unit reference:
| Unit | Bits | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Bit | 1 | — |
| 1 Byte | 8 | — |
| 1 KB (Kilobyte) | 8 × 10³ = 8,000 | SI / Decimal |
| 1 KiB (Kibibyte) | 8 × 2¹⁰ = 8,192 | IEC / Binary |
| 1 MB (Megabyte) | 8 × 10⁶ | SI / Decimal |
| 1 MiB (Mebibyte) | 8 × 2²⁰ | IEC / Binary |
| 1 GB (Gigabyte) | 8 × 10⁹ | SI / Decimal |
| 1 GiB (Gibibyte) | 8 × 2³⁰ | IEC / Binary |
| 1 TB (Terabyte) | 8 × 10¹² | SI / Decimal |
| 1 TiB (Tebibyte) | 8 × 2⁴⁰ | IEC / Binary |
| 1 PB (Petabyte) | 8 × 10¹⁵ | SI / Decimal |
| 1 PiB (Pebibyte) | 8 × 2⁵⁰ | IEC / Binary |
| 1 EB (Exabyte) | 8 × 10¹⁸ | SI / Decimal |
| 1 EiB (Exbibyte) | 8 × 2⁶⁰ | IEC / Binary |
Assumptions & References
- Two standards coexist: SI (decimal, powers of 1,000) used by storage manufacturers and network engineers; IEC (binary, powers of 1,024) used by operating systems and RAM specifications.
- 1 Byte = 8 bits — the universally accepted definition for modern computing (POSIX, ISO/IEC 80000-13).
- SI prefixes (KB, MB, GB, …) follow IEC 80000-13 / SI: 1 KB = 1,000 B, 1 MB = 1,000,000 B, etc.
- IEC binary prefixes (KiB, MiB, GiB, …) were standardised by IEC 80000-13 in 1998: 1 KiB = 1,024 B, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 B, etc.
- Why the confusion? Hard-drive makers advertise in SI (1 GB = 10⁹ B), while Windows historically reported in binary (what it calls "GB" is actually GiB), causing apparent size discrepancies.
- Negative values are rejected — storage sizes are always non-negative.
- Results are displayed to up to 10 significant figures; very large or very small values switch to scientific notation automatically.
- Reference: IEC 80000-13:2008 — Quantities and units — Part 13: Information science and technology.