Choose a Measurement
Select a measurement and convert between different units
Single conversion
To convert from Gibibit (Gib) to Gibibyte (GiB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Kibibyte (KiB) and Kibibit (Kib).
Let's convert 5 Gibibit (Gib) to Gibibyte (GiB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Gibibit (Gib) is equal to Gibibyte (GiB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Gibibit (Gib) to Gibibyte (GiB):
| Gibibits | Gibibytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 Gib | GiB |
| 0.001 Gib | GiB |
| 0.1 Gib | GiB |
| 1 Gib | GiB |
| 2 Gib | GiB |
| 3 Gib | GiB |
| 4 Gib | GiB |
| 5 Gib | GiB |
| 6 Gib | GiB |
| 7 Gib | GiB |
| 8 Gib | GiB |
| 9 Gib | GiB |
| 10 Gib | GiB |
| 20 Gib | GiB |
| 30 Gib | GiB |
| 40 Gib | GiB |
| 50 Gib | GiB |
| 100 Gib | GiB |
| 1000 Gib | GiB |
| 10000 Gib | GiB |
For all Digital converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
A gibibit (Gib) is a unit for measuring digital information, like file sizes or memory capacity, that is based on powers of two.
Standardized by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), one gibibit is equal to 1,048,576 kibibits (Kib). The plural form is gibibits.
A common point of confusion is the difference between a gibibit (Gib) and a gigabit (Gb). The main difference lies in how they are counted.
A gibibit follows the binary (base-2) system, which is the language computers use. It represents 230 bits, or 1,073,741,824 bits.
In contrast, a gigabit is based on the decimal (base-10) system and represents exactly 1 billion bits (109).
Because of this, one gibibit is about 7.4% larger than one gigabit. This distinction is crucial for accurately understanding data storage capacity and transfer speeds.
Here's a quick breakdown:
Gibibit (Gib)
Gigabit (Gb)
The gibibit is most frequently used in technical fields where precision in binary measurement is essential.
You will often see it in:
Using this IEC standard unit ensures that programmers and engineers are working with exact binary measurements.
The term "gibibit" was officially established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998. It was introduced to solve the confusion caused by using metric prefixes (like "giga") for both binary and decimal multiples.
The name "gibibit" is derived from combining "giga" and "binary," creating the "gibi" prefix to clearly signal a base-2 measurement. This standardization helps create clarity across the global technology industry.
A gibibyte (GiB) is a unit of measurement for digital data.
While it sounds complex, understanding it is the key to solving a common tech mystery: why the storage space on your new device or hard drive often looks smaller than what was advertised on the box.
Have you ever purchased a 500 gigabyte (GB) hard drive, only to find that your computer reports it as having only 465 GB of storage capacity?
You haven't been short-changed. The difference comes down to two different ways of counting:
Gigabyte (GB): This is the unit manufacturers use for marketing. It's a simple, round number based on the decimal (base-10) system.
Gibibyte (GiB): This is the unit your computer's operating system (like Windows or macOS) often uses for measurement. It is based on the binary (base-2) system, which is the native language of computers.
This means a gibibyte is about 7.4% larger than a gigabyte.
So, your 500 GB hard drive has exactly 500,000,000,000 bytes, but when your computer measures those bytes using the binary system, it calculates it as approximately 465 GiB.
The amount of storage is the same—only the unit of measurement has changed.
To clear up this exact confusion, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) officially introduced the term "gibibyte" in 1998.
It was created along with other binary-based prefixes (like kibi-, mebi-, and tebi-) to create a clear standard and separate the binary measurements used in computing from the decimal measurements used in marketing and general communication.
Knowing where to expect each term can help you avoid confusion:
You will see Gigabytes (GB) used most often in marketing and sales, such as on the packaging for hard drives, SSDs, smartphones, and when describing mobile data plans.
You will encounter Gibibytes (GiB) inside software environments. Operating systems, file size information, and memory (RAM) specifications use GiB to give a more precise measurement that aligns with the computer's binary architecture.
In short, the next time you see a difference in your storage numbers, you'll know it's not a mistake—it's just the language of computers at work