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   Computers & Internet / How Many Megabytes in a Gigabyte

Computer data are measured with the help of the binary number system, which is counted by twos (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc). But the prefixes denoting the multiples are borrowed from the metric system (kilo, mega, etc). Thus 1024 bytes are called a kilobyte, like 1000 grams are known as a kilogram. No wonder, this has caused a lot of embarrassment.

Bits and Bytes

Basic units of information, which are used for computer data storage, are called bits¹ (contraction from the phrase “binary digit”). Every bit can have one of the two possible values, denoted by digits 1 and 0. All files in a computer are kept in the form of binary files. They are transformed into pictures, words, music and video by special programs, which are also zeros and ones. This is called the binary number system.

Eight bits make up the byte², one of the most common units of measuring digital information. Originally, one byte meant the quantity of bits necessary for encoding one character of text. Since then, bytes are the basic elements in the majority of computer system architectures.

Different Definitions

According to the standard definition, we have such measurements:

• 1 kilobyte has 1000 bytes
• 1 megabyte has 1000 kilobytes
• 1 gigabyte has 1000 megabytes

According to the prefixes, which are used in this system, it is correct. But we all know that manufacturers of computer memory prefer to use the binary system with the same metric prefixes. This definition states the following:

• 1 megabyte has 1024 kilobytes
• 1 gigabyte has 1024 megabyte

And they are not worried about the fact that it causes confusion.

The IEC Standards

There is a simple and convenient way to avoid any misinterpretation in this question. In 1998 it was suggested by the IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)³. This organization approved a new standard with specific prefixes instead of metric ones. The first letters of every prefix were taken from the metric variants (me-, gi-, etc). To them the syllable “bi” (contraction from “binary”) was added. Thus we got the terms kibibyte (KiB), mebibyte (MiB), gibibyte (GiB), etc.

The table below presents all the definitions from the new IEC Standard.


Though this standard could have solved many problems, it is not commonly used, and computer manufacturers still ignore it. As a result, most people do not even know what these terms (kibibit, kibibyte, mebibyte, etc) mean.

How to Convert Non-Official Units

The chart below helps to convert traditional units, used by manufacturers of memory and in computer programs.

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