Choose a Measurement
Select a measurement and convert between different units
Single conversion
To convert from Byte (byte) to Kibibyte (KiB), use the following formula:
With is the ratio between the base units Kibibyte (KiB) and Byte (byte).
Let's convert 5 Byte (byte) to Kibibyte (KiB).
Using the formula:
Therefore, 5 Byte (byte) is equal to Kibibyte (KiB).
Here are some quick reference conversions from Byte (byte) to Kibibyte (KiB):
| Bytes | Kibibytes |
|---|---|
| 0.000001 byte | KiB |
| 0.001 byte | KiB |
| 0.1 byte | KiB |
| 1 byte | KiB |
| 2 byte | KiB |
| 3 byte | KiB |
| 4 byte | KiB |
| 5 byte | KiB |
| 6 byte | KiB |
| 7 byte | KiB |
| 8 byte | KiB |
| 9 byte | KiB |
| 10 byte | KiB |
| 20 byte | KiB |
| 30 byte | KiB |
| 40 byte | KiB |
| 50 byte | KiB |
| 100 byte | KiB |
| 1000 byte | KiB |
| 10000 byte | KiB |
For all Digital converters, choose units using the From/To dropdowns above.
A byte is a fundamental unit of digital information.
It is the standard building block used by computers to represent data such as text, numbers, and images.
A byte is almost universally composed of 8 bits.
A single bit is the smallest unit of data in a computer, represented as either a 0 or a 1.
Grouping these bits into a set of 8 allows computers to represent a broader range of values, forming the foundation for storing and processing data.
The term "byte" was created in 1956 by Dr. Werner Buchholz during the development of the IBM Stretch computer.
He deliberately spelled it with a "y" to avoid accidental confusion with the term "bit."
It was intended to represent a "bite-sized" chunk of data, specifically the amount needed to encode a single character.
Because a byte contains 8 bits, a single byte can represent 28, or 256 different possible values.
These values can range from 0 (binary 00000000) to 255 (binary 11111111).
This is why standards like ASCII use a byte to represent a single character, such as the letter 'A' or the symbol '$'.
From bytes, we build larger units you're likely familiar with, like kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), and gigabytes (GB).
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.