Data Storage Converter
Convert between bits, bytes, KB/MB/GB/TB and KiB/MiB/GiB — and see the decimal-vs-binary gap that explains why a "500 GB" drive shows up as 465 GB.
Gigabytes (decimal)
500
Breakdown
- Bytes
- 500,000,000,000
- Bits
- 4,000,000,000,000
- Kilobytes (KB)
- 500,000,000
- Megabytes (MB)
- 500,000
- Terabytes (TB)
- 0.50
- Kibibytes (KiB)
- 488,281,000
- Mebibytes (MiB)
- 476,837
- Gibibytes (GiB)
- 465.66
- Drive-label reality check
- 500 GB (decimal) shows as 465.661 GiB in your OS
- Decimal vs binary gap (%)
- 6.87
Last updated:
FAQ
Why does my 500 GB drive show only 465 GB?
Drive makers use decimal units — 500 GB = 500 × 10⁹ bytes. Operating systems report binary units — 500 × 10⁹ ÷ 2³⁰ = 465 GiB, labeled "GB". No space is missing; it's the same bytes counted in two bases, a permanent ~7% gap at the gigabyte scale.
What's the difference between MB and MiB?
MB is 1,000,000 bytes (10⁶); MiB is 1,048,576 bytes (2²⁰). The binary family — KiB, MiB, GiB — was introduced in 1998 precisely to end this ambiguity, but most software still prints "MB" while computing mebibytes. At the TB scale the mismatch reaches 10%.
Is a byte always 8 bits?
On every modern computer, yes — 8 bits, enough for one ASCII character. "Octet" is the unambiguous term used in French and in networking standards. Historically bytes ranged from 6 to 9 bits on vintage machines, and a 4-bit unit is called a nibble.
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