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Digital Storage Converter

Instantly convert between data units like MB, GB, MiB, and GiB.

Why Use This Tool? ✅

Fast & Accurate

Get high-precision conversions in real-time as you type, with no need to calculate.

Metric & Binary

Clearly convert between marketing units (GB) and operating system units (GiB).

Useful for All Users

An essential tool for IT professionals, students, and anyone managing files and hardware.

Beginner-Friendly

A simple, clean interface that makes converting any data storage unit quick and easy.

GB vs. GiB: A Guide to Digital Storage Units 💾

In the world of computing, the language of data storage can be confusing. The most common point of confusion arises from two different systems of measurement: the Metric (SI) system and the Binary (IEC) system. This tool is designed to bridge the gap between them and provide clarity.

The Metric System (Powers of 1000)

This is the system used by most storage manufacturers for marketing. It's based on powers of 10, just like the metric system for length or weight. It's easy for humans to understand.

  • 1 Kilobyte (KB) = 1,000 Bytes
  • 1 Megabyte (MB) = 1,000 Kilobytes (1,000,000 Bytes)
  • 1 Gigabyte (GB) = 1,000 Megabytes (1,000,000,000 Bytes)
  • 1 Terabyte (TB) = 1,000 Gigabytes

The Binary System (Powers of 1024)

This is the system that most operating systems (like Windows and macOS) use to report storage capacity, because computers are built on a binary (base-2) architecture. The units have different names to avoid confusion, though this is not always followed.

  • 1 Kibibyte (KiB) = 1,024 Bytes
  • 1 Mebibyte (MiB) = 1,024 Kibibytes
  • 1 Gibibyte (GiB) = 1,024 Mebibytes
  • 1 Tebibyte (TiB) = 1,024 Gibibytes

Why Does My 1 TB Hard Drive Show 931 GB?

This is the classic example of the confusion. The hard drive manufacturer sells you a 1 Terabyte (TB) drive. They mean 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. However, your operating system reports storage in binary units. So, it takes the manufacturer's byte count and divides by 1024 repeatedly:

1,000,000,000,000 Bytes / 1024 = 976,562,500 KiB
976,562,500 KiB / 1024 = 953,674.3 MiB
953,674.3 MiB / 1024 = 931.32 GiB

So, your 1 TB drive shows up as approximately 931 GiB (often incorrectly labeled as "GB" by the OS). You haven't lost any storage; it's just being measured with a different (and larger) "yardstick." This converter lets you easily switch between these two systems to see the true values.