Data Storage Converter

Convert a data storage size between decimal units (kB, MB, GB) and binary units (KiB, MiB, GiB).

Decimal vs. binary notation

Decimal (SI): kB, MB, GB and TB use powers of 1000 (1 kB = 1000 B).Binary (IEC): KiB, MiB, GiB and TiB use powers of 1024 (1 KiB = 1024 B). Xiliro never presents "KB" as if it could mean both. The two systems are kept distinct in every label.

Worked example

1 kilobyte (kB) is 1000 bytes. 1 kibibyte (KiB) is 1024 bytes. These are different units.

How it works

Decimal units (kilobyte, megabyte, gigabyte, terabyte) are powers of 1000, following the SI convention. Binary units (kibibyte, mebibyte, gibibyte, tebibyte) are powers of 1024, following the IEC convention used by most operating systems when reporting file and disk sizes. Xiliro keeps the two conventions distinct rather than treating "kB" and "KiB" as the same thing. This tool converts unit quantities only. It does not read or upload any actual file. Enter zero or a positive value.

What this result means

The converted value distinguishes decimal (SI) units from binary (IEC) units, which are not the same size.

Common mistakes

Writing "KB" to mean the 1024-byte binary unit — Xiliro always labels that unit KiB, and reserves kB for the 1000-byte decimal unit.

Sources and review

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 80000-13) binary-prefix standard