MB to GB Converter

Storage manufacturers use decimal units (1TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), while operating systems like Windows use binary units (1TB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes). When your OS converts the manufacturer's 1TB to binary, it equals approximately 931 GiB. This isn't missing space - it's just different measurement systems. The drive contains exactly what was advertised in bytes; it's just displayed differently.

MB (megabyte) traditionally meant 1,048,576 bytes (binary) but now officially means 1,000,000 bytes (decimal) according to SI standards. MiB (mebibyte) was introduced in 1998 by the IEC to unambiguously mean 1,048,576 bytes (binary). Windows uses binary but labels it MB, while macOS switched to decimal MB in 2009. Linux distributions vary - some use MiB notation, others don't.

In binary (computing): 1 GB = 1,024 MB. In decimal (storage marketing): 1 GB = 1,000 MB. Most UK mobile data plans use decimal, so 1GB of data = 1,000 MB. Your phone's data usage display typically matches your network's billing, as both use decimal.

Netflix HD uses about 3GB per hour, 4K uses 7GB per hour. Spotify music streaming uses about 40-150MB per hour depending on quality (Normal to Very High). BBC iPlayer uses about 2.5GB per hour for HD content. Video calls on Zoom use about 1.2GB per hour for HD video. Most UK unlimited data plans now have no fair usage caps for streaming.

A 12MP smartphone photo averages 3-5MB (JPEG) or 2MB (HEIC on iPhone). A 64GB card holds about 12,000-20,000 photos. For RAW camera files (25-50MB each), a 128GB card holds about 2,500-5,000 images. For 4K video at 60fps, expect about 400MB per minute, so a 256GB card gives you about 10 hours of footage.

For light users (documents, a few photos): 15-50GB is sufficient. For families with photos and videos: 200GB is typically adequate. For extensive photo/video libraries or full device backups: 1-2TB is recommended. In the UK, iCloud+ starts at 99p/month for 50GB, while Google One offers 100GB for £1.59/month - often better value for non-Apple households.

USB drive manufacturers use decimal units, but your computer displays binary. A '32GB' USB drive contains 32,000,000,000 bytes, which equals 29.8 GiB in binary. Additionally, the file system (FAT32, exFAT, NTFS) uses some space for organisation - FAT32 uses about 2-3% overhead, while NTFS can use 5-10%. So a 32GB USB drive might show about 28-29GB of usable space.

UK networks like EE, Vodafone, Three, and O2 all use decimal measurements. Their 10GB plan means 10,000 MB or 10,000,000,000 bytes. This matches how your phone displays data usage, so there's no discrepancy between your usage and what the network bills. Ofcom requires transparent data usage reporting from all UK networks.