Data Storage Converter

Convert a value between bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, and terabytes, with a switch between decimal and binary units. All five results appear at once, so you can see the same amount in every scale without converting twice.

Unit System

Value

Unit

1,000,000

1,000

0.001

0.000001

How was this tool?

Your feedback helps us improve Data Storage Converter.

Why use Data Storage Converter?

The confusion around storage units comes from one historical accident. Computers address memory in powers of two, so 1024 bytes was a natural grouping and got called a kilobyte, borrowing a prefix that everywhere else in science means exactly 1000. For small numbers the 2.4 percent difference hardly showed. By terabyte scale it is about ten percent, which is large enough to look like a missing chunk of disk. The standards bodies resolved this by defining separate binary prefixes: kibi, mebi, gibi, and tebi, written KiB, MiB, GiB, and TiB. Under that scheme a kilobyte is unambiguously 1000 bytes and a kibibyte is 1024. Adoption has been uneven, which is why a drive sold as 1 TB shows up as roughly 931 in a file manager that is really reporting GiB while writing GB. This converter keeps the two systems visibly separate and labels each correctly, so you always know which base produced the number in front of you. Switching systems relabels the units rather than silently changing the maths behind the same names.

Key benefits

Both unit systems available, rather than assuming one and being wrong half the time
Correct labels for each system, so binary results are named KiB and MiB rather than KB and MB
Every scale computed from the same value, no chained rounding
Empty input shows nothing rather than a row of zeros that looks like an answer
Runs in the page with no upload

Features

Decimal units based on powers of 1000 and binary units on powers of 1024
Five units per system, from bytes up to terabytes
Up to six decimal places, so small fractions of a large unit stay visible
Individual copy button on each result
Live recalculation as you type or change unit

Popular use cases

Working out whether a file will fit inside an upload or attachment limit
Reading a disk size quoted by a manufacturer against what the operating system reports
Sizing a backup, a database dump, or a media library
Converting a bandwidth or quota figure into a unit your team uses

How to use Data Storage Converter

1
Pick a unit system
Choose decimal for 1000 based units or binary for 1024 based ones. The labels change to match, so KB becomes KiB.
2
Enter your value
Type the amount and choose the unit it is currently in.
3
Read every scale at once
All five units are shown together, so you can pick whichever one reads best for your purpose.
4
Copy the one you need
Each result has its own copy button.

Frequently asked questions

Which system should I choose, decimal or binary?

Use decimal for storage device capacity, network transfer, and anything a manufacturer advertises, since those are quoted in powers of 1000. Use binary for memory and for sizes reported by many operating systems and file managers, which count in powers of 1024.

Why does my 1 TB drive show as roughly 931 GB?

This is exactly the decimal versus binary gap. The manufacturer sells a trillion bytes, which is 1 TB decimal. The operating system divides by 1024 three times and reports about 931 GiB, often labelling it GB. No capacity is missing, the two are just counting in different bases.

What is the difference between KB and KiB?

KB is 1000 bytes and KiB is 1024 bytes. The binary prefixes kibi, mebi, and gibi were introduced specifically to end the ambiguity, because KB had been used for both meanings for decades. The gap widens at each step, reaching about ten percent by terabyte scale.

Why do I see so many decimal places?

Up to six are shown so that small quantities do not collapse to zero when viewed in a large unit. A 500 KB file expressed in terabytes is a very small number, and truncating it would be misleading.

Is anything uploaded?

No. This is arithmetic performed in the page, and no value you enter is sent anywhere.

Last reviewed: July 2026

How was this tool?

Related tools