Data Storage Converter
This data storage converter allows you to easily convert between various digital storage units, from tiny bits to massive yottabytes and beyond. Whether you're working with file sizes, storage capacities, network transfer rates, or memory specifications, this tool provides accurate conversions across all common digital storage measurements. Understanding these units is essential for IT professionals, computer scientists, data analysts, and anyone working with digital information systems.
Common Data Storage Systems
Binary System (Base-2)
The binary system is traditionally used for computer memory and storage, where powers of 2 are used. In this system, 1 kilobyte = 1,024 bytes.
- Bit (b): The smallest unit of digital information (a 0 or 1)
- Byte (B): 8 bits - typically the smallest addressable unit of memory
- Kibibyte (KiB): 1,024 bytes (2^10 bytes)
- Mebibyte (MiB): 1,048,576 bytes (2^20 bytes)
- Gibibyte (GiB): 1,073,741,824 bytes (2^30 bytes)
- Tebibyte (TiB): 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (2^40 bytes)
- Pebibyte (PiB): 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes (2^50 bytes)
Decimal System (Base-10)
The decimal system is commonly used for disk drives, file sizes, and network speeds, where powers of 10 are used. In this system, 1 kilobyte = 1,000 bytes.
- Bit (b): The smallest unit of digital information
- Byte (B): 8 bits
- Kilobyte (KB): 1,000 bytes (10^3 bytes)
- Megabyte (MB): 1,000,000 bytes (10^6 bytes)
- Gigabyte (GB): 1,000,000,000 bytes (10^9 bytes)
- Terabyte (TB): 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (10^12 bytes)
- Petabyte (PB): 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes (10^15 bytes)
- Exabyte (EB): 10^18 bytes
- Zettabyte (ZB): 10^21 bytes
- Yottabyte (YB): 10^24 bytes
- Ronnabyte (RB): 10^27 bytes
- Quettabyte (QB): 10^30 bytes
Character-Based Units
Some older or specialized systems use character-based units:
- Character: Typically equivalent to one byte in ASCII, but can vary in other encodings
- Word: Historically 2 bytes (16 bits), but varies by system architecture (can be 4 bytes or more)
- Nibble/Nybble: Half a byte (4 bits)
Storage Media Capacities
Common storage media with their typical capacities:
- Floppy Disk (FD): 1.44 MB
- CD: 700 MB
- DVD: 4.7 GB (single layer), 8.5 GB (dual layer)
- Blu-ray (BD): 25 GB (single layer), 50 GB (dual layer)
- Block: Typically 512 bytes or 4 KB in disk storage
- Sector: Typically 512 bytes on a disk
- Cluster: File system allocation unit, multiple sectors (typically 4-64 KB)
Common Data Storage Conversions
| From | To | Multiply By |
|---|---|---|
| Bits (b) | Bytes (B) | 0.125 |
| Bytes (B) | Bits (b) | 8 |
| Kilobytes (KB) | Bytes (B) | 1,000 |
| Kibibytes (KiB) | Bytes (B) | 1,024 |
| Megabytes (MB) | Kilobytes (KB) | 1,000 |
| Mebibytes (MiB) | Kibibytes (KiB) | 1,024 |
| Gigabytes (GB) | Megabytes (MB) | 1,000 |
| Gibibytes (GiB) | Mebibytes (MiB) | 1,024 |
| Terabytes (TB) | Gigabytes (GB) | 1,000 |
| Tebibytes (TiB) | Gibibytes (GiB) | 1,024 |
| Bytes (B) | Characters (approx.) | 1 |
| Nibbles | Bits | 4 |