Quick example
Convert 1 TB to GiB
One decimal terabyte contains exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Divide that amount by 1,073,741,824 bytes per gibibyte to get approximately 931.322574615 GiB.
Quick reference
Decimal and binary storage units
| Decimal unit | Bytes | Binary unit | Bytes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 KB | 1,000 | 1 KiB | 1,024 |
| 1 MB | 1,000,000 | 1 MiB | 1,048,576 |
| 1 GB | 1,000,000,000 | 1 GiB | 1,073,741,824 |
| 1 TB | 1,000,000,000,000 | 1 TiB | 1,099,511,627,776 |
Read the symbols
Bits, bytes, decimal, and binary prefixes
Lowercase b: bits
A bit is a single binary digit. Symbols such as Mb and Gb use lowercase b and describe bits, not bytes.
Uppercase B: bytes
One byte contains exactly eight bits. KB, MB, GB, and TB use uppercase B for bytes.
Decimal prefixes
KB through TB scale by powers of 1,000. Storage manufacturers and network specifications commonly use these SI-style quantities.
Binary prefixes
KiB through TiB scale by powers of 1,024. Their distinct names prevent binary quantities from being confused with decimal ones.
Advertised and reported capacity
Why the displayed number may look smaller
A drive sold as 1 TB contains one trillion bytes before formatting and system use. That same byte count is about 931.323 GiB. Some operating systems report a binary-sized number while displaying a decimal-looking label, which adds to the confusion. Formatting, recovery partitions, and filesystem overhead can reduce the available amount further.
Common questions
Data storage conversion FAQ
What is the difference between GB and GiB?
A decimal gigabyte is exactly 1,000,000,000 bytes. A binary gibibyte is exactly 1,073,741,824 bytes.
How many GiB are in 1 TB?
One decimal terabyte is approximately 931.3226 gibibytes.
Why does a 1 TB drive show about 931 GiB?
Drive makers define 1 TB as one trillion bytes. Divide that by 1,073,741,824 bytes per GiB to get approximately 931.3226 GiB.
How many bits are in a byte?
One byte contains exactly eight bits.
Is 1 GB equal to 1,000 MB or 1,024 MB?
One decimal GB equals exactly 1,000 decimal MB. One binary GiB equals exactly 1,024 binary MiB.