Byte to Bit Converter: Convert GB to Mb, MB to kbps & More
Understanding the difference between bits and bytes is key to knowing your actual internet speed or a file’s true size. Our converter eliminates the confusion by providing instant, accurate conversions between all common data storage and bandwidth units. Use the tool below to easily convert megabytes to megabits, gigabytes to kilobytes, or any other data unit you need.
Byte to Bit Converter
1 Byte = 8 Bits
How to Use Our Byte to Bit Converter
Our tool is designed for speed and simplicity. Follow these steps to get your conversion instantly.
Value: Enter the number you want to convert. For example, if your internet plan is 500 megabits per second, you would type “500”.
From Unit: Select the starting unit of your measurement from the dropdown menu. This is the unit you are converting from (e.g., Megabits
Mb).To Unit: Select the target unit you want to convert to from the dropdown menu (e.g., Megabytes
MB).
The calculator will immediately display the correctly converted value.
Understanding Your Results
The number shown in the result field is the direct equivalent of your initial value in the new unit you chose. To make sense of this number, it’s important to understand the two fundamental building blocks of digital data: bits and bytes.
Bits vs. Bytes: What’s the Difference?
The most critical concept in data measurement is the relationship between a bit and a byte.
Bit (b): A bit (short for binary digit) is the smallest possible unit of data in computing. It can only have one of two values: a 0 or a 1. Internet speeds are almost always measured in bits per second (e.g., Mbps).
Byte (B): A byte is a group of 8 bits. Because a single bit doesn’t hold much information, data is grouped into bytes. File sizes, from a text document to a 4K movie, are almost always measured in bytes (e.g., MB, GB, TB).
The core conversion is: 1 Byte = 8 Bits
This is why your 500 Megabit-per-second (Mbps) internet plan only gives you a download speed of 62.5 Megabytes-per-second (MB/s) on your computer. You simply divide the bits by 8 to get the bytes ().
Unit Prefixes: Kilo, Mega, Giga, Tera
The prefixes tell you the scale of the measurement. This is where a major point of confusion arises: the difference between the decimal (base-10) and binary (base-2) systems.
Marketing & Hard Drives (Decimal/Base-10): Manufacturers often use prefixes in powers of 1,000.
Operating Systems (Binary/Base-2): Your computer’s OS (like Windows or macOS) measures storage in powers of 1,024.
This discrepancy is why a 1 Terabyte (TB) hard drive you buy shows up as only about 931 Gigabytes (GB) on your computer. The manufacturer defines 1 TB as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes, but your computer reports size using the binary system, where 931.3 * 1,024 * 1,024 * 1,024 equals roughly the same number of bytes.
Our calculator allows you to convert between both systems for maximum accuracy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my internet speed in Megabits (Mbps) but my downloads are in Megabytes (MB/s)?
This is the most common reason people use a bit-to-byte converter. It’s a marketing and technical standard.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) sell plans in megabits per second (Mbps) because it’s a measure of raw data transmission (bits). A higher number looks better from a marketing perspective.
Web browsers, game clients (like Steam), and operating systems show download progress in megabytes per second (MB/s) because they are measuring the size of the files being written to your disk, and file sizes are measured in bytes.
Concrete Example: If your internet plan is 800 Mbps, your theoretical maximum download speed is:
So, don’t be alarmed when your fast “800 meg” connection “only” downloads a file at 100 MB/s. That’s its actual top speed.
What’s the difference between a megabyte (MB) and a mebibyte (MiB)?
This directly relates to the 1000 vs. 1024 issue. To solve the confusion, new units were created to specifically denote the binary (base-2) system.
Megabyte (MB) technically refers to 1,000,000 bytes.
Mebibyte (MiB) refers to 1,048,576 bytes ().
Similarly, you have kilobytes (KB) vs. kibibytes (KiB), gigabytes (GB) vs. gibibytes (GiB), and so on. While operating systems like Windows still use the “GB” and “MB” symbols, they are actually displaying gibibytes and mebibytes.
How many bytes does it take to store a photo or a song?
File sizes can vary dramatically based on quality and compression. Here are some typical real-world estimates.
Why are there 8 bits in a byte?
The 8-bit byte became a standard because it was the amount of memory needed to store a single character of text in ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange). For example, the letter ‘A’ is represented by the 8-bit binary code 01000001. This 8-bit structure was also efficient for the computer architectures being built at the time.
Is a kilobyte 1000 or 1024 bytes?
It depends on the context.
When a hard drive manufacturer says “kilobyte,” they mean 1000 bytes.
When your operating system says “kilobyte,” it means 1024 bytes. This is the root of the decimal vs. binary confusion. For clarity, a “kibibyte (KiB)” is always 1024 bytes.
How does data compression affect file size in bytes?
Data compression is a process that reduces the number of bits (and therefore bytes) needed to represent data. It works by finding and eliminating statistical redundancy. For example, instead of storing “AAAAA”, a compression algorithm might store “5A”, saving space. This is why a ZIP file or a JPEG image is much smaller than its uncompressed original.
What are the full names of all the prefixes?
The standard prefixes used in data measurement are based on the metric system, but are adapted for binary.
How can I check the size of a file on my computer?
It’s simple on most operating systems.
Windows: Right-click the file or folder and select Properties.
macOS: Right-click (or Control-click) the file or folder and select Get Info.
The properties window will show you the size of the file, usually in KB, MB, or GB.
What are data transfer rates and how are they measured?
A data transfer rate is the speed at which data is moved from one location to another. It’s almost always measured in bits per second (or kbps, Mbps, Gbps). This applies to your internet speed, the speed of your USB ports, and internal computer connections like SATA (used for hard drives).
Is the letter case of the symbol important?
Yes, very. The convention helps distinguish between bits and bytes.
A lowercase b stands for bit (e.g., Mbps = megabits per second).
An uppercase B stands for byte (e.g., MB/s = megabytes per second).
Paying attention to the case can prevent major misunderstandings, especially when comparing internet speeds to download rates.
Now that you’ve converted your data units, you can calculate how long a download will take with our Download Time Calculator. To check if your internet provider is delivering the speeds you pay for, use our Internet Speed Test.