Question 1

What's the difference between GB and GiB?

Accepted Answer

GB (gigabyte) uses decimal: 1 GB = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. GiB (gibibyte) uses binary: 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes. Operating systems often show GiB but label it GB.

Question 2

How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?

Accepted Answer

In decimal (SI), 1 GB = 1,000 MB. In binary (IEC), 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB. Storage manufacturers use decimal (1,000), while operating systems often use binary (1,024), causing apparent size discrepancies.

Question 3

Why does my 1TB drive show less than 1TB?

Accepted Answer

Manufacturers use decimal (1 TB = 1,000 GB), but computers use binary (1 TiB = 1,024 GiB). A 1 TB drive = 931 GiB in your OS. Also, formatting and system files consume additional space.

Question 4

Can I convert between bits and bytes?

Accepted Answer

Yes! 8 bits = 1 byte. Internet speeds use bits (Mbps = megabits per second), while file sizes use bytes (MB = megabytes). A 100 Mbps connection downloads at 12.5 MB per second.

Question 5

How much storage do I need for photos and videos?

Accepted Answer

Photos: 2-5 MB for phone cameras, 10-30 MB for DSLRs. Videos: 1 GB per 10 minutes (HD), 2-4 GB per 10 minutes (4K). A 128 GB phone holds roughly 25,000 photos or 50 hours of HD video.

Question 6

What's the difference between KB and kB?

Accepted Answer

KB (uppercase K) = kilobyte = 1,000 bytes (decimal). kB is less common. KiB = kibibyte = 1,024 bytes (binary). Similarly: MB vs MiB, GB vs GiB, TB vs TiB.

Question 7

How do cloud storage providers calculate storage?

Accepted Answer

Most cloud providers (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud) use decimal (GB = 1,000 MB). They count actual file sizes, not disk space consumed, so you get slightly more usable space than binary calculations.

Question 8

What's a petabyte and who uses it?

Accepted Answer

A petabyte (PB) = 1,000 terabytes = 1,000,000 gigabytes. Large companies, data centers, and cloud services use petabytes. For example, Facebook stores hundreds of petabytes of user data.

Terabyte (TB)	Gigabyte (GB)
1	1,000
2	2,000
3	3,000
4	4,000
5	5,000
10	10,000
15	15,000
20	20,000
25	25,000
50	50,000
75	75,000
100	100,000
250	250,000
500	500,000
1,000	1,000,000

Terabyte to Gigabyte Converter

Conversion Formula

About Terabyte

About Gigabyte

How to Convert Terabyte to Gigabyte

Common Terabyte to Gigabyte Conversions

Conversion Reference Table

Real-World Data Storage Conversions

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Data Storage Conversion FAQs