Byte Size Converter

Convert storage units, keeping base 1024 and base 1000 apart

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What is Byte Size Converter?

A byte size converter translates between bytes and petabytes and lets you switch between base 1024 units (KiB, MiB) and base 1000 units (KB, MB), showing plainly how far the two conventions drift apart. Conversion happens locally in your browser.

How to use Byte Size Converter

  1. 1Enter a value and choose its unit.
  2. 2Toggle the base and compare the two results.
  3. 3Pick the base that fits the context: 1024 for memory and file sizes, 1000 for advertised drive capacity and network bandwidth.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a 1 TB drive show up as 931 GB?+

Drive manufacturers advertise in base 1000 (1 TB = 10¹² bytes), while Windows divides by 1024 but still labels the result "GB". 10¹² bytes works out to roughly 931 GiB, so nothing is missing from the drive — you are simply looking at two unit systems mixed together.

Is KB or KiB the correct term?+

Under the IEC standard, KiB means 1024 bytes and KB means 1000 bytes. In practice the industry has used KB to mean 1024 for decades, and ls -h on Linux, Finder on macOS, and Windows Explorer do not all agree with one another. When writing documentation, stating the base explicitly is far more useful than arguing about the symbol.

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