File Size Converter

Understanding File Size Units

File sizes are measured in bytes, but the specific meaning of "kilobyte" and "megabyte" depends on which standard you're using — and this confusion causes real-world discrepancies between advertised and actual storage capacities.

Binary vs Decimal: The Key Difference

Binary (IEC standard, used by operating systems): 1 KB = 1,024 bytes · 1 MB = 1,048,576 bytes · 1 GB = 1,073,741,824 bytes. Decimal (SI standard, used by hard drive manufacturers): 1 KB = 1,000 bytes · 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes · 1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes. This is why a "500 GB" hard drive shows as ~465 GB in Windows — the drive uses decimal but Windows reports in binary (GiB).

Common File Sizes in 2026

A typical MP3 song: ~3–5 MB. A high-quality JPEG photo: ~2–6 MB. A 4K video minute: ~350–700 MB. A feature film in 4K: ~50–80 GB. A game: 50–150 GB. A smartphone photo in RAW format: ~25 MB. Understanding these benchmarks helps you plan storage, transfers, and cloud costs.