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