Data Transfer Rate Converter
Convert data transfer rates between bits per second, kilobits, megabits, gigabits, and bytes per second.
How to use this tool
- Enter transfer rate and from unit in the fields above.
- Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
- Read your megabytes/second and the full breakdown beneath it.
Formula
All rates are reduced to a common base of bits per second (bps), then converted to each target unit:
bps = value × factorfrom
Bit-based factors (decimal, base-1000): 1 Kbps = 1,000 bps, 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bps, 1 Gbps = 1,000,000,000 bps.
Byte-based factors: 1 KB/s = 8,000 bps, 1 MB/s = 8,000,000 bps, 1 GB/s = 8,000,000,000 bps.
How it works
The converter treats all rates as decimal (base-1000) and applies the 8-bit-per-byte relationship when crossing between bit and byte units. The input is multiplied by its bps equivalent to get a raw bit rate, then each output is produced by dividing that base value by the target unit's bps factor.
Common mistake: Confusing megabits per second (Mbps), used by internet service providers to advertise bandwidth, with megabytes per second (MB/s), used to describe file copy speeds. A 100 Mbps connection delivers only 12.5 MB/s of actual file throughput because there are 8 bits in every byte.
Worked example
Convert 100 Mbps to all transfer rate units
- Input: 100 Mbps. Factor for Mbps = 1,000,000.
- Base bps = 100 × 1,000,000 = 100,000,000 bps.
- Kbps = 100,000,000 / 1,000 = 100,000; Gbps = 100,000,000 / 1,000,000,000 = 0.1.
- MB/s = 100,000,000 / 8,000,000 = 12.5; KB/s = 100,000,000 / 8,000 = 12,500; GB/s = 100,000,000 / 8,000,000,000 = 0.0125.
100 Mbps = 100,000,000 bps = 100,000 Kbps = 0.1 Gbps = 12,500 KB/s = 12.5 MB/s = 0.0125 GB/s.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Confusing Mbps (megabits per second) with MBps (megabytes per second) -- internet speeds are quoted in Mbps, so a 100 Mbps connection transfers about 12.5 MB/s, not 100 MB/s.
- Applying 1024-based binary factors to data rate units -- data transfer rates conventionally use decimal (1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bps), unlike storage which often uses binary.
- Comparing a hard drive sequential read speed (in MB/s) directly to an internet speed (in Mbps) without converting -- a 500 MB/s SSD is 4,000 Mbps, far faster than a typical broadband line.
Key terms
- Bit (b)
- The smallest unit of digital information, either 0 or 1. Network speeds are almost always quoted in bits per second (bps), while file sizes use bytes (1 byte = 8 bits).
- Mbps (Megabits per second)
- One million bits per second. The standard unit used by ISPs to advertise broadband speeds. Not to be confused with MB/s (megabytes per second).
- MB/s (Megabytes per second)
- One million bytes, or eight million bits, transferred per second. Typically used for disk read/write speeds and file-copy benchmarks.
- Bandwidth vs Throughput
- Bandwidth is the maximum theoretical data transfer rate of a connection. Throughput is the actual usable rate after protocol overhead, congestion, and retransmissions are accounted for, and is always lower than bandwidth.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is my 100 Mbps internet only downloading at 12 MB/s?
- Because internet speed is measured in megabits (Mb) while file download progress is shown in megabytes (MB). Since 1 byte = 8 bits, 100 Mbps / 8 = 12.5 MB/s, which is the expected maximum.
- What is the difference between Mbps and MBps?
- Mbps = megabits per second (lowercase b). MBps = megabytes per second (uppercase B). One MBps = 8 Mbps. ISPs use Mbps; file managers use MB/s (MBps).
- How fast is USB 3.0 in Mbps?
- USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed) has a theoretical max of 5,000 Mbps (5 Gbps), or about 625 MB/s. Real-world throughput is typically 300-400 MB/s depending on the drive and cable.