A common conversion that’s done when setting storage size is to calculate the correct number of Bytes and other values from the base, desired Kilobytes, Megabytes, Gigabytes, Terabytes, or even Petabytes. The calculator below enables you to enter your desired value and then easily convert to the correct number of Bytes, Kilobytes, Megabytes, and so on. You will also find below a table of common Byte conversions needed to see what those are in Gigabytes, Terabytes, and so on as well.

This type of conversion from Gigabytes (or others) to Bytes is a common task necessary when configuring various cloud services; such as Azure SQL Database or others. While many unit conversions are easily integrated within search engines, the ability to convert Byte units is not, so I created this simple calculator to help with that purpose.

Byte Conversion Calculator

To do do a conversion, enter the number you want to convert in the below text box, select the unit (Bytes, Kilobytes, Megabytes, Gigabytes, or Terabytes), then click Calculate.

Byte Conversion Calculator

Bits
Bytes
Kilobytes
Megabytes
Gigabytes
Terabytes
Petabytes

Common Byte Conversions

Here’s a table of common byte conversions that are used in various scenarios:

Bytes Kilobytes Megabytes Gigabytes Terabytes Petabytes
1024 1
10240 10
102400 100
1048576 1024 1
10485760 10240 10
134217728 131072 128
536870912 524288 512
1073741824 1048576 1024 1
53687091200 52428800 51200 50
137438953472 134217728 131072 128
549755813888 536870912 524288 512
1099511627776 1073741824 1048576 1024 1
1125899906842624 1099511627776 1073741824 1048576 1024 1

I hope you find this conversion calculator and common Byte conversions table helpful. I know this is something that I’ve had to do myself manually, and a simple calculator like this definitely saves time when provisioning cloud services, virtual machine disks, and other resources where this is required.

Facts about Bits and Bytes

Here are several facts about bit and bytes that you might not be familiar with:

A Bit is the smallest unit of data used by computer systems. A single Bit is either a 1 or 0 in value.

A Byte is made up of 8 bits. A Byte is big enough to be able to encode or represent a single character.

A Kilobyte is made up of 1,024 Bytes in computer memory. Yes, “Kilo” means 1,000, but the way computer systems use Bytes for memory and storage, a Kilobyte is actual 1,024 Bytes.

A Megabyte is a million Bytes, but not exactly. Remember that a Kilobyte is actually 1,024 Bytes? Well, a Megabyte is actually 1,000 x 1,024. So a Megabyte being 1,000 Kilobytes, is actually 1,048,576 Bytes.

A Gigabyte is a billion Bytes, but you still need to factor in the fact that a Kilobyte is 1,024 Bytes. So, a Gigabyte is actually 1,000,000 X 1,024. So, a Gigabyte being 1,000,000 Bytes, is actually 1,073,741,824 Bytes.

The reason this calculator is needed to calculate exactly how many Bytes are in a Gigabyte, Terabyte, etc. is because it’s difficulty to multiply by 1,024 in your head. So the Byte calculator on this page (above) does the math for you so you can easily figure out how many Bytes are in a Gigabyte, Terabyte, etc.

Chris Pietschmann is a Microsoft MVP, HashiCorp Ambassador, and Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) with 20+ years of experience designing and building Cloud & Enterprise systems. He has worked with companies of all sizes from startups to large enterprises. He has a passion for technology and sharing what he learns with others to help enable them to learn faster and be more productive.
Microsoft MVP HashiCorp Ambassador

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