Data sizes are everywhere: in downloads, on hard drives, in mobile plans. To compare different units cleanly, the best tool is the Convert Data Sizes (Byte, MB, GB). This guide shows how the conversion works and why a "1 TB" hard drive appears smaller in the system.
The basics: bit and byte
The smallest unit is the bit (0 or 1). Eight bits make one byte: 1 byte = 8 bits. All larger units build on this. The converter uses the bit internally as its base and converts every input into the other units without loss.
Decimal (1000) versus binary (1024)
There are two systems. Decimal units such as kB, MB, GB and TB count in steps of a thousand: 1 MB = 1000 kB. Binary units such as KiB, MiB and GiB count in steps of 1024: 1 MiB = 1024 KiB. Both sound similar but drift apart more and more. Example: 1 GB = 1000 MB = 0.931 GiB.
Why storage seems to "go missing" on hard drives
Manufacturers advertise hard drives in decimal. A "1 TB" drive therefore holds 1000 GB (decimal). Many operating systems, however, display storage in binary using 1024. So 1 TB becomes roughly 931 GiB. Nothing is physically missing, it is just a different way of counting. The larger the capacity, the bigger this gap becomes. This is exactly the conversion the tool handles for you.
Conversion table
| Decimal | Value | Binary (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 kB | 1000 byte | 0.977 KiB |
| 1 MB | 1000 kB | 0.954 MiB |
| 1 GB | 1000 MB | 0.931 GiB |
| 1 TB | 1000 GB | 0.909 TiB |
Just enter the value and unit in the converter to see all equivalents instantly.
