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Select a measurement and convert between different units
Single conversion
To convert from Bit (bit) to Gigabyte (GB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Byte (byte) and Bit (bit).
Let's convert 5 Bit (bit) to Gigabyte (GB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Bit (bit) is equal to Gigabyte (GB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Bit (bit) to Gigabyte (GB):
| Bits | Gigabytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 bit | GB |
| 0.001 bit | GB |
| 0.1 bit | GB |
| 1 bit | GB |
| 2 bit | GB |
| 3 bit | GB |
| 4 bit | GB |
| 5 bit | GB |
| 6 bit | GB |
| 7 bit | GB |
| 8 bit | GB |
| 9 bit | GB |
| 10 bit | GB |
| 20 bit | GB |
| 30 bit | GB |
| 40 bit | GB |
| 50 bit | GB |
| 100 bit | GB |
| 1000 bit | GB |
| 10000 bit | GB |
For all Digital converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
A bit (short for binary digit) is the most basic unit of data in computing.
It is the smallest possible piece of information a computer can handle. Think of a bit as a tiny light switch that can only be in one of two states: on (represented by a 1) or off (represented by a 0).
Every action you perform on a computer—from typing a letter to watching a video—is made possible by billions of these switches working together.
This simple on/off system, known as the binary system, is the fundamental language of all modern digital devices.
The word "bit" is a portmanteau, a blend of the words "binary digit."
It was coined by the brilliant mathematician and engineer Claude Shannon in his groundbreaking 1948 paper, "A Mathematical Theory of Communication."
Shannon, often called the "father of information theory," created this simple term to describe the most fundamental unit of digital information.
While a single bit doesn't hold much information on its own, computers group them together to represent more complex data.
Data is most commonly measured in bytes.
A byte is a sequence of 8 bits. This grouping allows for 256 (28) different combinations of 0s and 1s, which is enough to represent all the characters on your keyboard, including letters, numbers, and symbols.
From the byte, we get larger units of data storage:
You've likely seen internet speeds advertised in megabits per second (Mbps). This measures how many millions of bits can be transferred per second.
However, file sizes are measured in megabytes (MB). To understand your actual download speed, you need to convert bits to bytes.
Since there are 8 bits in a byte, you simply divide the Mbps value by 8.
Example: A 100 Mbps internet connection can download 12.5 megabytes (MB) of data per second (100 Mbps / 8 = 12.5 MBps).
Ever wondered what a gigabyte (GB) really means when you're buying a new phone, choosing a mobile data plan, or saving a file? A gigabyte is one of the most common measurements of digital capacity.
In this guide, we'll break down exactly what a GB is, what you can fit into it, and why the storage space you buy isn't always what you see on your device.
A gigabyte (GB) is a unit of digital data storage, equal to one billion bytes. The plural form is gigabytes.
While a gigabyte (GB) is commercially defined as 1 billion bytes (109 bytes), operating systems like Windows often measure storage using a binary system.
In this system, the correct term is a gibibyte (GiB), which is equal to 230 or 1,073,741,824 bytes.
This ~7.4% difference is why a hard drive advertised as 500 GB might appear as only 465 GiB on your computer.
This discrepancy exists because manufacturers sell storage using the decimal system (powers of 10), while most operating systems measure it using the binary system (powers of 2).
A single gigabyte (1GB) offers a substantial amount of storage for everyday use.
For perspective, 1 GB can typically hold:
This capacity makes it a standard unit for measuring file sizes, app downloads, and mobile data plans.
In the early 1980s, a gigabyte of storage was an immense, costly amount of data, primarily found in multi-million dollar supercomputers.
The first gigabyte-capacity hard disk drive, IBM's 3380, was released in 1980. It weighed over 500 pounds and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Today, gigabytes are a routine measure for devices that fit in our pockets, such as smartphones, SD cards, and USB drives, showcasing the exponential growth of data technology.