Data Storage Converter
Convert Bytes, KB, MB, GB, TB, and PB
About the Data Storage Converter
File size units are one of those things that trip people up constantly: is a gigabyte 1,000 megabytes or 1,024? For this tool — and for operating systems, RAM specifications, and most technical contexts — the answer is 1,024, the base-2 (binary) standard. So 1 KB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes, and so on up to petabytes. Paste in any value in any unit and every other unit appears immediately.
Cloud storage shoppers comparing plans in terabytes with file sizes in megabytes use it to figure out how many photos actually fit. Sysadmins converting server disk quotas between gigabytes and terabytes, developers sizing database limits expressed in bytes, and students answering "how many gigabytes in a terabyte?" on a homework problem all hit the same need: see the value in every unit without doing the math by hand.
The converter shows the full ladder from bytes to petabytes in a single view — type 1.5 GB and instantly see it rendered as 1,610,612,736 bytes, 1,572,864 KB, 1,536 MB, 0.00146 TB, and 0.00000143 PB, formatted to a sensible number of significant digits.
How to Use the Data Storage Converter
- Type your file size value in the input field and choose its unit from the dropdown (B, KB, MB, GB, TB, or PB).
- All other units appear immediately in the result grid below.
- Click Copy next to any row to copy that value to your clipboard.
Why Use ToolForge’s Data Storage Converter
- Shows all six units simultaneously — bytes through petabytes — in one grid so you can compare without switching back and forth.
- Uses strict base-2 (1024) multipliers, the standard for OS file sizes, RAM, and most technical specifications.
- Smart formatting applies appropriate precision: very small values show more decimal places, very large ones trim to significant figures so results stay readable.
- Runs entirely in your browser with no network calls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 1 KB 1,000 bytes or 1,024 bytes?
In the binary (base-2) standard used by operating systems, RAM, and most hardware specs, 1 KB = 1,024 bytes. Hard drive manufacturers often use decimal (1 KB = 1,000 bytes) to make capacities appear larger, which is why a "500 GB" drive shows up as about 465 GB in Windows. This converter uses the binary 1,024 standard.
How many gigabytes are in a terabyte?
1 TB = 1,024 GB in the binary standard. So 1 terabyte holds 1,024 gigabytes, or 1,048,576 megabytes. In the decimal system used by drive manufacturers, 1 TB = 1,000 GB.
What is a petabyte?
A petabyte is 1,024 terabytes (about 1.1 quadrillion bytes). Hyperscale data centers and major cloud providers measure storage in petabytes. One petabyte could hold roughly 250,000 hours of HD video.
Why does my operating system show a different size than the label on a drive?
Drive manufacturers label capacity using decimal (1 GB = 10^9 bytes) while operating systems like Windows and Linux report using binary (1 GiB = 2^30 bytes). A drive sold as 1 TB therefore shows about 931 GiB in Windows. This converter uses the binary standard.
