KB to MB to GB Conversion Ladder
Understand the full data-size ladder in both decimal and binary systems, with real file-size examples.
From KB MB To
KB
MB
— conversions and counting
The three-step ladder
In decimal SI units each step is 1,000: 1 GB = 1,000 MB = 1,000,000 KB. In binary IEC units each step is 1,024: 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB = 1,048,576 KiB. Keep one system throughout a calculation - mixing them is the usual source of wrong results.
Ladder chart (decimal)
| KB | MB | GB |
|---|---|---|
| 1 KB | 0.001 MB | 0.000001 GB |
| 10 KB | 0.01 MB | 0.00001 GB |
| 100 KB | 0.1 MB | 0.0001 GB |
| 500 KB | 0.5 MB | 0.0005 GB |
| 1000 KB | 1 MB | 0.001 GB |
| 5000 KB | 5 MB | 0.005 GB |
| 10000 KB | 10 MB | 0.01 GB |
| 100000 KB | 100 MB | 0.1 GB |
| 500000 KB | 500 MB | 0.5 GB |
| 1e+06 KB | 1000 MB | 1 GB |
Ladder chart (binary)
| KiB | MiB | GiB |
|---|---|---|
| 1 KiB | 0.001 MiB | 0.000001 GiB |
| 10 KiB | 0.0098 MiB | 0.00001 GiB |
| 100 KiB | 0.0977 MiB | 0.000095 GiB |
| 512 KiB | 0.5 MiB | 0.000488 GiB |
| 1024 KiB | 1 MiB | 0.000977 GiB |
| 5120 KiB | 5 MiB | 0.004883 GiB |
| 10240 KiB | 10 MiB | 0.009766 GiB |
| 102400 KiB | 100 MiB | 0.097656 GiB |
| 524288 KiB | 512 MiB | 0.5 GiB |
| 1.04858e+06 KiB | 1024 MiB | 1 GiB |
Real file sizes
- A plain text page: 2 to 20 KB.
- A phone photo: 2 to 5 MB (2,000 to 5,000 KB).
- A 4-minute song: 5 to 10 MB.
- A 1080p movie: 1.5 to 4 GB (1,500 to 4,000 MB).
- A modern game install: 50 to 150 GB.
Related pages
Frequently Asked Questions
How many KB in a GB?
1,000,000 KB in decimal SI (1 GB) or 1,048,576 KiB in binary IEC (1 GiB).
Can I mix 1000 and 1024 in one calculation?
No. Pick one system and keep it throughout, or the result will be wrong by a growing margin.
What is a typical phone photo in KB?
Roughly 2,000 to 5,000 KB (2 to 5 MB), depending on the sensor and compression.