Digital storage unit conversion
Converts between bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes, and petabytes, using the standard 1,024-based (binary) scale that operating systems like Windows use to report file and drive sizes.
Why storage capacity and displayed file size often disagree
Storage manufacturers market drive capacity using the 1,000-based decimal system (where 1 TB means exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes), while operating systems typically display sizes using the 1,024-based binary system - this mismatch is exactly why a drive sold as "1 TB" shows up as roughly 931 GB once you plug it in and check its properties, even though no storage is actually missing.
Why each step up is a factor of 1,024, not 1,000
Computers fundamentally work in binary, and 1,024 (2 to the 10th power) is the binary number closest to 1,000 - which is why early computing conventions settled on 1,024 bytes per kilobyte rather than a clean 1,000, and that binary-rooted convention has persisted in how most operating systems report file and memory sizes even today.
Why bits and bytes need their own clear distinction
A byte is made up of exactly 8 bits, and the two are easy to confuse because network and internet speeds are conventionally measured in bits per second (megabits, not megabytes), while file sizes are measured in bytes - which is why a "100 Mbps" internet connection downloads a 100 MB file in roughly 8 seconds at best, not 1 second, a common source of confusion this tool's bit-to-byte conversion can help clarify.