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Single conversion
To convert from Kibibyte (KiB) to Kilobyte (kB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Byte (byte) and Kibibyte (KiB).
Let's convert 5 Kibibyte (KiB) to Kilobyte (kB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Kibibyte (KiB) is equal to Kilobyte (kB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Kibibyte (KiB) to Kilobyte (kB):
| Kibibytes | Kilobytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 KiB | kB |
| 0.001 KiB | kB |
| 0.1 KiB | kB |
| 1 KiB | kB |
| 2 KiB | kB |
| 3 KiB | kB |
| 4 KiB | kB |
| 5 KiB | kB |
| 6 KiB | kB |
| 7 KiB | kB |
| 8 KiB | kB |
| 9 KiB | kB |
| 10 KiB | kB |
| 20 KiB | kB |
| 30 KiB | kB |
| 40 KiB | kB |
| 50 KiB | kB |
| 100 KiB | kB |
| 1000 KiB | kB |
| 10000 KiB | kB |
For all Digital converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
A kibibyte (KiB) is a unit of digital information established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).
It was created to provide a more precise way to measure data storage and eliminate common confusion with a similar-sounding unit, the kilobyte.
The core difference lies in the number system they use: binary vs. decimal.
A kibibyte (KiB) represents exactly 1,024 bytes. This number comes from the binary system (or base-2 math) that computers use, as it's a power of two (210).
In contrast, a kilobyte (KB) is often used, especially in marketing for storage devices, to mean exactly 1,000 bytes. This is based on the decimal system (or base-10 math) we use every day.
This difference is why the kibibyte was created: to offer a clear and unambiguous term for the binary-based measurements that computers and operating systems actually use.
To put it simply:
Kilobyte (KB)
Kibibyte (KiB)
Before 1998, the term "kilobyte" was ambiguously used to refer to both 1,000 and 1,024 bytes, which confused consumers and programmers alike.
To solve this problem, the IEC officially introduced a new set of prefixes specifically for binary measurements.
This new standard gave us the kibi (for kibibyte), mebi (for mebibyte, MiB), and gibi (for gibibyte, GiB), creating a transparent and standardized system for measuring data in the way computers actually "think."
Have you ever bought a 1 terabyte (TB) hard drive, only to plug it in and see your computer report it as having around 931 gigabytes (GB) of space?
You haven't been short-changed or lost any storage—it's just a difference in measurement systems.
Here's what's happening:
Ultimately, no storage is lost. It's like the difference between miles and kilometers—the distance is the same, you're just using a different unit to measure it.
A kilobyte (kB) is a unit of digital information or data storage equal to 1,000 bytes.
The plural form is kilobytes.
While a kilobyte (kB) is standardized as 1,000 bytes (using the decimal, or base-10 system), the term has historically been used in computing to mean 1,024 bytes.
This is because computers operate on a binary (base-2) architecture, and 210 equals 1024.
To clear up this confusion, the term kibibyte (KiB) was officially created to refer specifically to 1,024 bytes.
However, you'll still see "kilobyte" used informally for both values, especially in older software and operating systems like Windows.
In the dawn of early personal computing, the kilobyte was a massive unit of memory.
For example, the popular Commodore 64 home computer, released in 1982, had its name derived from its 64 kilobytes of RAM.
This was considered a large and powerful amount of storage capacity at the time, and it had to hold the entire operating system, programs, and any user data simultaneously.
In today's digital world, a kilobyte is a minimal amount of data.
A single kilobyte can typically hold about half a page of plain, unformatted text.
For reference, a simple email with no images might be 2-3 kB, while a small website icon (a favicon) is often around 1-4 kB.
It's the foundational unit upon which larger file sizes are built.
Key Takeaways