Data Storage Converter
Buy a 500 GB SSD and the operating system calls it 465 GB. Neither side is lying: manufacturers count storage in powers of 1,000 while computers count in powers of 1,024, and the same letters cover both. This converter uses the binary 1,024 steps by default, prints the decimal reading beside it, and lists raw byte counts so you can reconcile any two numbers you ever see.
Enter values
Results
- In megabytes (MB)
- 1,024
- Decimal convention (×1000)
- 1,073.74 MB
- In terabytes (TB)
- 0.0009765625
- In kilobytes (KB)
- 1,048,576
- In petabytes (PB)
- 0.0000009537
- In bytes (B)
- 1,073,741,824
- Exact factor
- 1 GB = 1,024 MB
How is the Data Storage Converter calculated?
Enter a size and choose its unit. The headline result converts with binary steps — each unit is 1,024 of the last, which is how Windows and Linux size files — and a second row restates the same byte count under the ×1,000 convention the packaging uses. Four more units follow (terabytes, kilobytes, petabytes and bytes), plus the exact factor such as 1 GB = 1,024 MB.
Formula
Binary steps, used here: 1 KB = 1,024 B · 1 MB = 1,024 KB = 1,048,576 B · 1 GB = 1,024 MB = 1,073,741,824 B · 1 TB = 1,024 GB. Decimal steps, used in marketing: 1 KB = 1,000 B · 1 MB = 10⁶ B · 1 GB = 10⁹ B. The arithmetic itself is the generic one: value × from factor ÷ to factor.
Example
One binary GB is 1,073,741,824 bytes; expressed with decimal MB that is 1,073.74 MB rather than 1,000. A drive sold as 500 GB holds 500,000,000,000 bytes, which the OS reports as 465.66 GB. And 1 TB is 1,024 GB by binary count but only 1,000 GB on the box — the same three-way gap at every prefix.
Things to remember
Neither convention is wrong; they answer different questions, and the byte count is the one fact both sides share. Slow downloads usually hide the same mismatch, with speed in decimal MB/s against a file in binary MB. Convert both ends with this page and the missing gigabytes stop being mysterious.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1 GB equal to 1000 MB or 1024 MB?
Both, depending on who is counting. Computers use 1,024 bytes per kilobyte (binary) while drive makers and network speeds use 1,000 (decimal). That is why a 1 TB drive appears as about 931 GB in Windows: 10¹² ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 931.32.
Why does my 500 GB SSD show as only 465 GB?
The manufacturer counted 500 × 1,000,000,000 bytes, while Windows groups them into 1,073,741,824-byte chunks. 500,000,000,000 ÷ 1,073,741,824 = 465.66, so roughly 34 GB seems to vanish — it never existed under the other convention either.
What is the difference between GB and GiB?
GiB (gibibyte) always means the binary 1,073,741,824 bytes, while GB is ambiguous: 10⁹ bytes in decimal contexts and 1,073,741,824 in older software. Standards-following tools label the binary units KiB, MiB and GiB precisely to end the argument.
How many bytes are in one gigabyte?
1,073,741,824 bytes by binary count (1,024 × 1,024 × 1,024), or 1,000,000,000 bytes by decimal count. Multiply gigabytes by 1,024 three times for the computer's figure, or by 1,000 three times for the marketing figure.
Related Calculators
- Number Base ConverterUnit ConvertersTurn a decimal number into binary, octal and hexadecimal, with worked examples for 255, colour codes and IPs.
- Speed ConverterUnit ConvertersConvert kilometres per hour to miles per hour, metres per second and knots for runs, drives and flights.
- Time ConverterUnit ConvertersConvert hours to minutes, days and weeks, with the month and year conventions stated for travel and planning.
- Percentage CalculatorMath & ArithmeticCalculate percentages, percentage increase and percentage decrease in one step, with a worked example for each case.