How to convert 1 gigabyte in megabytes

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Here is the answer to questions like:Data Units Converter. What is 1 gigabytes in megabytes? How many gigabytes in 1 megabytes?

Use the Data Units or Storage Converter above not only to convert from GBs to MBs, but to convert from/to many data units used in computer memory.

Byte conversion chart for binary and decimal conversion

The chart below tries to explain the 2016 scenario. These definitions are not a consense. The usage of units like Kibibyte, mebibytes, etc. (IEC) is not widely known.

Binary System (traditional)

In Data storage, traditionally, when describing digital circuitry, a kilobyte is 210 or 1,024 bytes. This arises from binary exponentiation common to that circuits. This is the so called BINARY system where multiple of bytes are always some exponent of two.

The binary prefix kibi (old k) means 210 or 1,024, therefore, a 1 kibibyte is 1,024 bytes. The units (Kib, MiB, etc) were established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998. These units are used for random-access memory (RAM) capacities, such as main memory and CPU cache sizes, due to the binary addressing of memory. See some examples:

  • 1 byte (B) = 8 bits (b)
  • 1 kibibyte - KiB | traditional Kilobyte - KB = 210 bytes = 1,024 bytes
  • 1 mebibyte - MiB | traditional Megabyte - MB = 220 bytes = 1,048,576 bytes
  • 1 gibibyte - GiB | traditional Gigabyte - GB = 230 bytes = 1,073,741,824 bytes
  • 1 tibibyte - TiB | traditional Terabyte - TB = 2^40 bytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes and so on ...

The Decimal System (SI)

Recently, most hard disk manufacturers use decimal megabytes (106) which is slightly different from the decimal system for small values and considerabily different for values of the order of Terabytes and it gets confusing. This is the so called DECIMAL system where multiple of bytes are always some exponent of ten as shown below:

  • 1 byte (B) = 8 bits (b) (one byte is always 8 bits)
  • 1 kilobyte (kB) = 103 bytes = 1,000 bytes
  • 1 megabyte (MB) = 106 bytes = 1,000,000 bytes
  • 1 gigabyte (GB) = 109 bytes = 1,000,000,000 bytes
  • 1 terabyte (TB) = 1012 bytes = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes and so on ...

Please, check the tables below for more units.

Multiples of bit

UnitSymbolIn bits
Bitbit1
Kilobitkbit10001 = 1000
KibibitKibit10241 = 1024
MegabitMbit10002 = 1000000
MebibitMibit10242 = 1048576
GigabitGbit10003 = 1000000000
GibibitGibit10243 = 1073741824
TerabitTbit10004 = 1000000000000
TebibitTibit10244 = 1099511627776
PetabitPbit10005 = 1000000000000000
PebibitPibit10245 = 1125899906842620
ExabitEbit10006 = 1000000000000000000
ExbibitEibit10246 = 1152921504606850000
ZettabitZbit10007 = 1000000000000000000000
ZebibitZibit10247 = 1180591620717410000000
YottabitYbit10008 = 1000000000000000000000000
YobibitYibit10248 = 1208925819614630000000000

Multiples of byte

UnitSymbolIn bits
ByteB8
KilobytekB10001 = 8000
KibibyteKiB10241 = 8192
MegabyteMB10002 = 8000000
MebibyteMiB10242 = 8388608
GigabyteGB10003 = 8000000000
GibibyteGiB10243 = 8589934592
TerabyteTB10004 = 8000000000000
TebibyteTiB10244 = 8796093022208
PetabytePB10005 = 8000000000000000
PebibytePiB10245 = 9007199254740990
ExabyteEB10006 = 8000000000000000000
ExbibyteEiB10246 = 9223372036854780000
ZettabyteZB10007 = 8000000000000000000000
ZebibyteZiB10247 = 9444732965739290000000
YottabyteYB10008 = 8000000000000000000000000
YobibyteYiB10248 = 9671406556917030000000000

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