Use this converter to easily convert between Bytes and MegaBytes (B to MB).
Quick navigation:
- How many Bytes in a MegaByte?
- Difference between Bytes and MB
- How to convert Bytes to MegaBytes
- Bytes to MB conversion table
How many Bytes in a MegaByte?
This question is harder to answer than you expect. Depending on who you ask, the answer will be either that there are 1,048,576 Bytes in a megabyte or that there are 1,000,000 Bytes in a megabyte. Why is that? There are two competing definitions for the megabyte, both of which use the same metric name and symbol (MB) to denote very different things. One is the standard binary definition using powers of 2, according to which a MB consists of 220 Bytes. The reason powers of 2 are used is that this is how computer memory (RAM) is addressed and that this results in whole numbers when dealing with, for example 512 MB of RAM.
The definition of the megabyte according to the International System of Units is, however, based on the decimal system used for things like weights and distances (kilogram, kilometer). Its advantage is easier calculation and compliance in how the prefixes kilo, mega, giga etc. are used across measurement niches. Its disadvantage is that it doesn't really work well, as one can never really produce a RAM module that is 512 MB (SI).
In an attempt to resolve the confusion, the IEC proposed a new metric: the MebiByte (symbol: MiB), that is equal to 1024 KibiBytes (KiB) which is equal to 1,048,576 Bytes, but this artificial construct never got much traction outside of very niche circles. Your average computer programmer, not to mention your average user, has never heard of these metrics. Make sure that when you convert bytes to MB you know which definition of the megabyte you are using.
Difference between Bytes and MB
The difference is in the magnitude of the data storage measured. A byte usually contains one character, such as the letter "a" or the number "9" in older character sets like ASCII, and even less than one character in newer ones like Unicode (e.g. UTF-8 in which this converter is coded). In most practical cases it is used to denote the size of database fields or other such small storage.
A megabyte on the other hand is much more commonly used, since it contains a lot more data. A typical mp3 file is between 3 and 15 megabytes, for example, while even dozens of pages of text in word may not reach a megabyte (depends on styling, spacing, etc.).
How to convert Bytes to MegaBytes
To convert from Bytes to MB is not straightforward if you are doing it by yourself, but you can check out some examples below. The difficulty comes from the large numbers you need to divide by, which is why we recommend simply using our converter.
Bytes to MB conversion example
Sample task: convert 1024 bytes to megabytes (binary, also MiB). Solution:
Formula:
B / 1048576 = MB
Calculation:
1024 B / 1,048,576 = 0.000977 MB
End result:
1024 B is equal to 0.000977 MB
Sample task: convert 1024 bytes to megabytes (SI). Solution:
Formula:
B / 1000000 = MB
Calculation:
1024 B / 1,000,000 = 0.001024 MB
End result:
1024 B is equal to 0.001024 MB
Bytes to MB conversion table
| B | MB (binary, also MiB) |
|---|---|
| 4 B | 0.000004 MB |
| 8 B | 0.000008 MB |
| 16 B | 0.000015 MB |
| 32 B | 0.000031 MB |
| 64 B | 0.000061 MB |
| 128 B | 0.000122 MB |
| 256 B | 0.000244 MB |
| 512 B | 0.000488 MB |
| 1,024 B | 0.000977 MB |
| 2,048 B | 0.001953 MB |
| 4,096 B | 0.003906 MB |
| 8,192 B | 0.007813 MB |
| 16,384 B | 0.015625 MB |
| 32,768 B | 0.031250 MB |
| 65,536 B | 0.062500 MB |
| 131,072 B | 0.125000 MB |
| 262,144 B | 0.25 MB |
| 524,288 B | 0.50 MB |
| 1,048,576 B | 1 MB |
| 2,097,152 B | 2 MB |
| 4,194,304 B | 4 MB |
| 8,388,608 B | 8 MB |
| 16,777,216 B | 16 MB |
| 33,554,432 B | 32 MB |
| 67,108,864 B | 64 MB |
| 134,217,728 B | 128 MB |
| 268,435,456 B | 256 MB |
| 536,870,912 B | 512 MB |
| B | MB (SI) |
|---|---|
| 4 B | 0.000004 MB |
| 8 B | 0.000008 MB |
| 16 B | 0.000016 MB |
| 32 B | 0.000032 MB |
| 64 B | 0.000064 MB |
| 128 B | 0.000128 MB |
| 256 B | 0.000256 MB |
| 512 B | 0.000512 MB |
| 1,024 B | 0.001024 MB |
| 2,048 B | 0.002048 MB |
| 4,096 B | 0.004096 MB |
| 8,192 B | 0.008192 MB |
| 16,384 B | 0.016384 MB |
| 32,768 B | 0.032768 MB |
| 65,536 B | 0.065536 MB |
| 131,072 B | 0.131072 MB |
| 262,144 B | 0.262144 MB |
| 524,288 B | 0.524288 MB |
| 1,048,576 B | 1.048576 MB |
| 2,097,152 B | 2.097152 MB |
| 4,194,304 B | 4.194304 MB |
| 8,388,608 B | 8.388608 MB |
| 16,777,216 B | 16.777216 MB |
| 33,554,432 B | 33.554432 MB |
| 67,108,864 B | 67.108864 MB |
| 134,217,728 B | 134.217728 MB |
| 268,435,456 B | 268.435456 MB |
| 536,870,912 B | 536.870912 MB |
References
1 IEC 60027-2, Second edition, 2000-11, Letter symbols to be used in electrical technology - Part 2: Telecommunications and electronics.
2 IEC 80000-13:2008, Quantities and units, Part 13: Information science and technology
