File Size Converter

About the File Size Converter

Converts digital storage between bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes using either binary (1024) or decimal (1000) multipliers.

How to use

Enter a value, choose its unit, the target unit and the base, then click Calculate.

Worked example

1 GB (binary) = 1024 MB = 1,073,741,824 bytes.

How to use this calculator

1. Enter the file size you want to convert.
2. Choose the source unit and the target unit.
3. Select binary or decimal if the tool asks for it.
4. Read the converted value and check the step-by-step explanation.

The formula explained

• \(\text{size in target unit}\) = the converted file size
• \(\text{size in source unit}\) = the original file size
• \(\text{source unit bytes}\) = the number of bytes in the starting unit using binary or decimal rules
• \(\text{target unit bytes}\) = the number of bytes in the destination unit using binary or decimal rules

Step by step method

1. Start with the original file size and identify its unit, such as MB or GB.
2. Use the unit system you want, either decimal where 1 KB = 1000 bytes or binary where 1 KiB = 1024 bytes.
3. Convert the starting value into bytes, then convert those bytes into the target unit.
4. Compare the result with the worked explanation to make sure the decimal point is in the right place.

Worked example

Suppose you want to convert a 2.5 GB video into MB using the decimal system.

1. In decimal units, 1 GB = 1000 MB.
2. Multiply \(2.5\) by \(1000\): \(2.5 \times 1000 = 2500\).
3. So the file size is 2500 MB.

Tips and common mistakes

• Check whether you are using binary or decimal units before trusting the result.
• Be careful with similar labels like KB and KiB, or MB and MiB, because they are not the same.
• Moving to a larger unit makes the number smaller, while moving to a smaller unit makes the number larger.
• If the result looks surprising, recheck the direction of the conversion and the number of zeros in the unit scale.

Frequently asked questions