Data Transfer Converter

About the data transfer converter

Data transfer rate is the speed at which information moves across a network or storage interface. ISPs and network engineers quote speeds in bits per second (Mbps, Gbps), while file managers and disk benchmarks usually display bytes per second (MB/s, GB/s). Since one byte equals eight bits, a 1 Gbps connection delivers about 125 MB/s in the best case. Use this converter to translate between bit-based and byte-based rates without doing the ×8 in your head every time.

Frequently asked questions

• Why is 1 MB/s not the same as 1 Mbps? +

  A byte is 8 bits, so 1 MB/s = 8 Mbps. A 100 Mbps internet link tops out at about 12.5 MB/s of actual file throughput.

• What is the difference between Mbps and MBps? +

  Lower-case b is bits, upper-case B is bytes. Mbps = megabits per second; MBps (or MB/s) = megabytes per second. Always check the case carefully.

• Why is my actual download speed lower than the rated link speed? +

  Overhead from TCP/IP headers, server limits, Wi-Fi loss, and shared bandwidth all reduce real throughput. Expect 80–90% of the link rate as a typical real-world ceiling.