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Select a measurement and convert between different units
Single conversion
To convert from Mebibyte (MiB) to Gigabit (Gb), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Bit (bit) and Kibibyte (KiB).
Let's convert 5 Mebibyte (MiB) to Gigabit (Gb).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Mebibyte (MiB) is equal to Gigabit (Gb).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Mebibyte (MiB) to Gigabit (Gb):
| Mebibytes | Gigabits |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 MiB | Gb |
| 0.001 MiB | Gb |
| 0.1 MiB | Gb |
| 1 MiB | Gb |
| 2 MiB | Gb |
| 3 MiB | Gb |
| 4 MiB | Gb |
| 5 MiB | Gb |
| 6 MiB | Gb |
| 7 MiB | Gb |
| 8 MiB | Gb |
| 9 MiB | Gb |
| 10 MiB | Gb |
| 20 MiB | Gb |
| 30 MiB | Gb |
| 40 MiB | Gb |
| 50 MiB | Gb |
| 100 MiB | Gb |
| 1000 MiB | Gb |
| 10000 MiB | Gb |
For all Digital converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
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.
A Gigabit (Gb) is a unit of digital information equal to one billion bits (109 bits).
It's a key measurement used to describe the speed of data transfer, most commonly your internet connection speed.
It's easy to mix up a Gigabit (Gb) and a Gigabyte (GB), but they measure two very different things: speed vs. size.
The most important thing to remember is this simple conversion:
This is why a fast 1 Gbps internet connection doesn't download a 1 GB file in one second.
Since a Gigabyte is eight times larger than a Gigabit, it will take about eight seconds to complete the download.
What does a fast internet connection of 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) mean for your daily use?
It provides the bandwidth needed to power a fully connected home or business, allowing you to:
A gigabit connection is the gold standard for reliable, high-speed internet for modern work, entertainment, and communication.
The prefix "Giga-" comes from the Greek word for "giant," and it represents a massive amount of data.
A single Gigabit is made up of one billion individual bits (the most minor units of digital data, represented by a 1 or a 0).
To put that in perspective, one Gigabit of information is enough to store the text of roughly 1,000 novels.
When you hear about Gigabit speeds, you're talking about the power to move that entire library of information every single second.