Data storage
The byte chain in decimal steps: terabyte, gigabyte, megabyte, kilobyte, byte and bit – and why a 1 TB disk shows 931 GB. Edit, print and share.
The data storage table in chain form: 1 terabyte = 1 000 gigabytes, 1 gigabyte = 1 000 megabytes and on down to bit, where 1 byte = 8 bit. Made for the classroom and home.
| 1 TB | = | 1 000 GB |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | = | 1 000 MB |
| 1 MB | = | 1 000 kB |
| 1 kB | = | 1 000 B |
| 1 B | = | 8 bit |
| 1 GB | = | 1 000 000 kB |
| 1 TB | = | 1 000 000 MB |
| 1 MB | = | 0.001 GB |
How the table works
Every row is a unit conversion: a quantity and unit on the left, the same quantity expressed in another unit on the right. The table is live – drag the handle to reorder, click a row to change the quantity or units, remove rows with the cross and add your own at the bottom.
Everything you change lands in the page address. Copy the link and others open exactly your table – handy when the whole class needs the same sheet. Your changes are also kept in your browser until you reset them, but only there: to share or keep them permanently, the link is what counts.
Print puts the table on a single portrait A4 and Download PDF gives you the same sheet as a file. Print practice sheet gives the table with empty answer cells and name/date lines – the normal printout is the answer key.
Kilo, mega, giga and tera – just like metres
Bytes scale exactly like metres: kilo, mega, giga and tera mean a thousand, a million, a billion and a trillion times, the same pattern as the prefix ladder. Every step in the table is exactly ×1 000.
Good to know: computers sometimes count in steps of 1 024 (2¹⁰) instead of 1 000, because binary numbers come naturally to computers. The binary units are called kibibyte (KiB), mebibyte (MiB) and gibibyte (GiB). That’s why a disk sold as “1 TB” shows only about 931 GB on your computer – the drive maker counts decimally (1 000-steps, like this table) while the operating system often counts in binary (1 024-steps).
Roughly how much data?
- A photo is roughly 3 MB.
- A feature film is roughly 4 GB.
- A text message is roughly 100 B.
- An SSD often holds 1 TB.
Frequently asked questions
How many MB are there in a GB?
1 GB = 1 000 MB.
Why does the 1 TB disk only show 931 GB?
The computer sometimes counts in steps of 1 024 (tebibyte) instead of 1 000 (terabyte) – same amount of data, different way of counting.
How many bits are there in a byte?
8 bits.
More tables: Data rate · Energy · Prefix ladder · Data storage converter