Bits to Bytes Converter

Bits to Bytes Converter

Convert between bits, bytes, kilobits (kbit), kilobytes (KB), megabits (Mbit), megabytes (MB), gigabits (Gbit) and gigabytes (GB). It is built for anyone reconciling a network speed quoted in bits with a file size quoted in bytes.

How it works

Every conversion rests on two facts: 1 byte = 8 bits, and decimal SI prefixes (1 KB = 1000 bytes, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes). The tool converts your value into a single base figure — total bits — using its unit’s multiplier, then divides that base by every other unit’s multiplier to fill the table:

bits = value × (multiplier for your unit) result in unit X = bits ÷ (multiplier for X)

Example

Enter 100 Mbit:

• bits = 100 × 1,000,000 = 100,000,000 bits
• bytes = 100,000,000 ÷ 8 = 12,500,000 bytes
• megabytes = 12.5 MB

All calculations happen locally in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere.

Why bits and bytes are confused so often

The confusion is structural, not accidental. Two different industries settled on different conventions that never converged:

• Networking measures throughput in bits per second because serial links physically transmit one bit at a time, and the bit was the natural unit when network standards were written. So your broadband plan says “100 Mbit/s” and your Wi-Fi router negotiates “54 Mbit/s.”
• Storage and software measure capacity in bytes because operating systems address memory byte by byte, and file sizes are counted in bytes. So a song file is “5 MB” and your SSD has “500 GB.”

The result: a 100 Mbit/s broadband connection downloads at approximately 12.5 MB/s. Internet service providers are not being deceptive — they just use a different unit. Dividing by 8 converts.

Decimal versus binary prefixes

This converter uses decimal SI prefixes, where 1 KB = 1,000 bytes and 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. That is the standard in networking, storage marketing, and most modern consumer contexts.

A separate binary prefix system exists, standardised by IEC:

The gap widens at larger scales, which is why a “500 GB” hard drive appears as roughly 465 GB in Windows (which historically reported capacity in GiB while labelling it GB). For networking calculations, decimal prefixes are correct. For memory and operating systems, the binary system is more precise — but most people use GB and GB interchangeably in everyday conversation.

Common quick-reference conversions