MB to GB
Converting megabytes to gigabytes? Divide by 1024. Here is the formula and a reference chart for common data storage conversions.
Formula
GB = MB ÷ 1024 MB = GB × 1024 TB = GB ÷ 1024
Quick reference chart
| From | To |
|---|---|
| 100 MB | 0.098 GB |
| 256 MB | 0.25 GB |
| 512 MB | 0.5 GB |
| 1024 MB | 1 GB |
| 2048 MB | 2 GB |
| 4096 MB | 4 GB |
| 1 GB | 1024 MB |
| 2 GB | 2048 MB |
| 8 GB | 8192 MB |
| 16 GB | 16384 MB |
| 1 TB | 1024 GB |
| 1 TB | 1048576 MB |
Why MB and GB get confusing
The confusion between MB and GB comes from two competing definitions. Operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux) use binary: 1 GB = 1,024 MB. Storage manufacturers use decimal: 1 GB = 1,000 MB. A phone showing 128 GB of storage gives you about 119 GB of usable space as reported by the OS — the rest is not missing, just counted differently.
File sizes are almost always reported in MB or GB depending on their size. A Word document is a few hundred KB. A JPEG photo is 3–8 MB. A short video clip is 100–500 MB. An hour of 1080p video is roughly 4–6 GB depending on bitrate. Knowing the conversion lets you estimate how many files fit on a drive or within a cloud storage limit.
Email attachments typically max at 25 MB (Gmail), making anything over 25 MB too large to attach. File sharing services like WeTransfer free tier cap at 2 GB (2,048 MB). WhatsApp allows video files up to 16 MB. Understanding where your file sits in the MB/GB range tells you immediately which sharing method to reach for.
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Open Data Storage Converter →Frequently asked questions
How many MB in a GB?
1 gigabyte equals 1024 megabytes. This is based on binary (base-2) calculation where 1 KB = 1024 bytes, 1 MB = 1024 KB, and 1 GB = 1024 MB.
How many GB is 500 MB?
500 MB equals 0.488 GB. Divide 500 by 1024 = 0.4883 GB.
How many GB is 1 TB?
1 terabyte equals 1024 gigabytes. A 1 TB hard drive contains 1024 GB of storage.
Why do hard drives show less storage than advertised?
Hard drive manufacturers use decimal (base-10) values where 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. Operating systems use binary where 1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes. A 1 TB drive shows as 931 GB in Windows/Mac because of this difference.
Is 1 GB = 1000 MB or 1024 MB?
Technically both exist. In binary (IEC standard), 1 GiB (gibibyte) = 1024 MiB. In decimal (SI standard), 1 GB = 1000 MB. Storage manufacturers use decimal (1000). Operating systems traditionally used binary (1024), though modern systems now display GiB correctly as GiB.