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Select a measurement and convert between different units
Single conversion
To convert from Megabit (Mb) to Kibibyte (KiB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Kibibyte (KiB) and Bit (bit).
Let's convert 5 Megabit (Mb) to Kibibyte (KiB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Megabit (Mb) is equal to Kibibyte (KiB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Megabit (Mb) to Kibibyte (KiB):
| Megabits | Kibibytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 Mb | KiB |
| 0.001 Mb | KiB |
| 0.1 Mb | KiB |
| 1 Mb | KiB |
| 2 Mb | KiB |
| 3 Mb | KiB |
| 4 Mb | KiB |
| 5 Mb | KiB |
| 6 Mb | KiB |
| 7 Mb | KiB |
| 8 Mb | KiB |
| 9 Mb | KiB |
| 10 Mb | KiB |
| 20 Mb | KiB |
| 30 Mb | KiB |
| 40 Mb | KiB |
| 50 Mb | KiB |
| 100 Mb | KiB |
| 1000 Mb | KiB |
| 10000 Mb | KiB |
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 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.