Byte Converter

Byte Converter converts a data size into every common unit at once, in both the decimal and the binary system. The two systems are the point. A kilobyte as the SI defines it is 1,000 bytes; a kibibyte is 1,024. One step up the difference is 2.4%, and by the terabyte it is almost 10%.

That gap is why a drive sold as 500 GB shows up as about 465 GB in Windows. The manufacturer counted decimal gigabytes, which is correct and matches SI. The operating system divides by 1,024 three times and still writes GB, which is where the confusion comes from -- the figure it shows is really gibibytes. No capacity has gone missing and neither party is lying; they are counting in different bases.

Bits are included because network speeds are quoted in bits per second while file sizes are in bytes, and the factor of eight between them catches people out constantly. A 100 Mbps connection moves at most 12.5 megabytes a second, which is a very different-sounding number for the same line.

The page shows its working, not just its answer. Where there is a formula it is printed with your own numbers substituted in, so you can check the result rather than take it on trust -- which is the difference between a calculator you can use for something that matters and one you cannot.

Everything runs inside your browser. What you type is never uploaded, never logged and never stored, and the calculator keeps working if your connection drops after the page has loaded.

• Shows in bytes, decimal (1000), binary (1024), in bits and decimal vs binary together, so you are not running it twice
• A results table you can read across
• Updates as you type, with no button to press and no page reload
• Copy the result in one click
• Free, no sign-up, and it runs entirely in your browser

The byte converter is used by writers, developers, students, marketers and anyone else who needs the job done once without installing software. Common cases include:

• Working out why a drive shows less capacity than advertised
• Converting a file size between MB and MiB
• Turning a byte count from a log file into something readable
• Converting between bits and bytes for a bandwidth figure