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Single conversion
To convert from Megabyte (MB) to Mebibyte (MiB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Kibibyte (KiB) and Byte (byte).
Let's convert 5 Megabyte (MB) to Mebibyte (MiB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Megabyte (MB) is equal to Mebibyte (MiB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Megabyte (MB) to Mebibyte (MiB):
| Megabytes | Mebibytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 MB | MiB |
| 0.001 MB | MiB |
| 0.1 MB | MiB |
| 1 MB | MiB |
| 2 MB | MiB |
| 3 MB | MiB |
| 4 MB | MiB |
| 5 MB | MiB |
| 6 MB | MiB |
| 7 MB | MiB |
| 8 MB | MiB |
| 9 MB | MiB |
| 10 MB | MiB |
| 20 MB | MiB |
| 30 MB | MiB |
| 40 MB | MiB |
| 50 MB | MiB |
| 100 MB | MiB |
| 1000 MB | MiB |
| 10000 MB | MiB |
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A megabyte (MB) is a unit of digital information equal to one million bytes (106 bytes).
The plural form is megabytes.
While a megabyte is commonly defined as one million bytes (1,000,000 bytes), especially for data storage devices like hard drives and USB sticks, computer operating systems often use a different measurement.
In this binary system, a "megabyte" actually refers to a mebibyte (MiB), which is 220 or 1,048,576 bytes.
This difference is why a 100 MB file on your computer takes up more than 100,000,000 bytes of space, and why a hard drive advertised as 500 GB might appear as approximately 465 GB in your operating system.
So, how big is a megabyte in practical terms?
To put its size into perspective, a single MB can hold a surprising amount of information depending on the file type. A megabyte is roughly equivalent to:
It's crucial not to confuse megabytes (MB) with megabits (Mb).
A megabyte (MB) is a unit of data size used for files.
A megabit (Mb) is a unit of data transfer speed, commonly used to measure internet connection speeds.
Since there are 8 bits in 1 byte, you need to divide the megabit value by 8 to find the maximum transfer speed in megabytes per second.
For example, a 100 Mbps (megabits per second) internet connection has a maximum theoretical download speed of 12.5 MBps (megabytes per second).
Ever bought a new hard drive or USB stick and noticed that its actual storage capacity is less than what was advertised on the box?
The reason has to do with the difference between a mebibyte (MiB) and a megabyte (MB).
While they sound almost identical, understanding the distinction is key to knowing how your computer actually measures data.
Here's a simple breakdown of the two units:
Mebibyte (MiB)
Megabyte (MB)
A mebibyte (MiB) is a unit of digital information equal to 1,024 kibibytes (KiB). It is approximately 4.8% larger than a megabyte.
The core difference lies in how they are counted. Computer systems, at their most basic level, operate in binary (base-2). This means they count in powers of two.
A mebibyte represents 220 or 1,048,576 bytes.
In contrast, the decimal system (base-10) is what humans use for most daily counting. A megabyte (MB) represents a clean 106 or 1,000,000 bytes.
This is why a hard drive advertised as 500 gigabytes (GB) appears as roughly 465 gibibytes (GiB) on your computer. The marketing uses the smaller decimal unit (megabyte/gigabyte). In contrast, your operating system uses the more technically accurate binary unit (mebibyte/gibibyte).
The term "mebibyte" was officially established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) in 1998. It was created to solve the long-standing confusion caused by the term "megabyte."
For decades, "megabyte" was ambiguously used to refer to both 1,000,000 bytes and 1,048,576 bytes.
By introducing a distinct set of binary prefixes (kibi-, mebi-, gibi-, etc.), the IEC aimed to create an unambiguous standard for software development, data storage, and other technical fields.
You encounter mebibytes more often than you might think.
Many modern operating systems, including Microsoft Windows and various Linux distributions, use binary units to calculate and display file sizes and memory capacity.
Even if the interface sometimes shows the abbreviation "MB" or "GB" for simplicity, the underlying calculation is based on the 1,024-based binary system.
This precise measurement is also critical in fields like cloud computing and data center management, where every byte of allocated resource counts.