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