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Select a measurement and convert between different units
Single conversion
To convert from Megabit (Mb) to Gibibyte (GiB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Kibibyte (KiB) and Bit (bit).
Let's convert 5 Megabit (Mb) to Gibibyte (GiB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Megabit (Mb) is equal to Gibibyte (GiB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Megabit (Mb) to Gibibyte (GiB):
| Megabits | Gibibytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 Mb | GiB |
| 0.001 Mb | GiB |
| 0.1 Mb | GiB |
| 1 Mb | GiB |
| 2 Mb | GiB |
| 3 Mb | GiB |
| 4 Mb | GiB |
| 5 Mb | GiB |
| 6 Mb | GiB |
| 7 Mb | GiB |
| 8 Mb | GiB |
| 9 Mb | GiB |
| 10 Mb | GiB |
| 20 Mb | GiB |
| 30 Mb | GiB |
| 40 Mb | GiB |
| 50 Mb | GiB |
| 100 Mb | GiB |
| 1000 Mb | GiB |
| 10000 Mb | GiB |
For all Digital converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
A megabit (Mb) is a unit of digital information, equal to one million bits (106 bits). The plural form is megabits.
While it's a fundamental unit of data, it's most commonly used to describe the speed of an internet connection.
When you shop for a broadband plan, the internet speed advertised by providers is measured in megabits per second (Mbps).
This metric defines your data transfer rate—essentially, how many million bits of data your connection can download or upload every second.
For example, a 25 Mbps download speed is great for basic browsing and streaming HD video on one device.
However, a faster plan of 100+ Mbps is better for a household with multiple people streaming 4K video, online gaming, and downloading large files at the same time.
A common point of confusion is the difference between a megabit (Mb) and a megabyte (MB).
The key is to notice the difference between the lowercase 'b' (bit) and the uppercase 'B' (byte).
Think of it this way: a bit is like a single letter, while a byte is like a complete word. Since it takes eight bits to make one byte, a megabyte (MB) is eight times larger than a megabit (Mb).
This is why they're used for different things:
In the world of networking, the "mega" prefix in megabit is simple: it means exactly 1,000,000 bits (106 bits). This is based on the decimal system.
However, you might see "mega" used differently for computer memory or file storage, where it can sometimes mean the binary equivalent of 1,048,576 bits (220 bits).
To avoid confusion, the term mebibit (Mib) was created for the binary value. Still, for measuring your internet speed, megabit (Mb) is the universal standard.
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