Reference
Bits divided by 8 give bytes. Then kilobytes and megabytes follow.
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Quick answer
Divide bits by 8 to get bytes, because 1 byte = 8 bits. 12,000 bits = 1,500 bytes = 1.5 KB. For kilobytes divide the bits by 8,000, and for megabytes divide by 8,000,000.
How to convert bits to bytes
Bytes = bits ÷ 8. Kilobytes (KB) = bits ÷ 8,000. Kibibytes (KiB) = bits ÷ 8,192. Megabytes (MB) = bits ÷ 8,000,000. Mebibytes (MiB) = bits ÷ 8,388,608. Bits count the raw ones and zeros. Bytes group them in eights, and every larger unit counts bytes. To go further, use the bytes to KB converter or the byte to MB converter.
- 8 bits is 1 byte.
- 16 bits is 2 bytes. 32 bits is 4 bytes. 64 bits is 8 bytes.
- 8,000 bits is 1,000 bytes, which is 1 KB decimal.
- A speed quoted in bits per second divides by 8 the same way. See Mbps to MB/s.
Bits and bytes table
| Bits | Bytes (÷ 8) | KB (÷ 8,000) | KiB (÷ 8,192) | MB (÷ 8,000,000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bit | 0.125 bytes | 0.000125 KB | ≈ 0.000122 KiB | ≈ 0 MB |
| 4 bits | 0.5 bytes | 0.0005 KB | ≈ 0.000488 KiB | ≈ 0.000001 MB |
| 8 bits | 1 byte | 0.001 KB | ≈ 0.000977 KiB | 0.000001 MB |
| 16 bits | 2 bytes | 0.002 KB | ≈ 0.001953 KiB | 0.000002 MB |
| 32 bits | 4 bytes | 0.004 KB | ≈ 0.003906 KiB | 0.000004 MB |
| 64 bits | 8 bytes | 0.008 KB | ≈ 0.007813 KiB | 0.000008 MB |
| 128 bits | 16 bytes | 0.016 KB | 0.015625 KiB | 0.000016 MB |
| 256 bits | 32 bytes | 0.032 KB | 0.03125 KiB | 0.000032 MB |
| 1,024 bits | 128 bytes | 0.128 KB | 0.125 KiB | 0.000128 MB |
| 8,000 bits | 1,000 bytes | 1 KB | ≈ 0.976563 KiB | 0.001 MB |
| 8,192 bits | 1,024 bytes | 1.024 KB | 1 KiB | 0.001024 MB |
| 12,000 bits | 1,500 bytes | 1.5 KB | ≈ 1.464844 KiB | 0.0015 MB |
| 65,536 bits | 8,192 bytes | 8.192 KB | 8 KiB | 0.008192 MB |
| 1,000,000 bits | 125,000 bytes | 125 KB | ≈ 122.070313 KiB | 0.125 MB |
| 8,000,000 bits | 1,000,000 bytes | 1,000 KB | 976.5625 KiB | 1 MB |
| 8,388,608 bits | 1,048,576 bytes | 1,048.576 KB | 1,024 KiB | 1.048576 MB |
| 8,000,000,000 bits | 1,000,000,000 bytes | 1,000,000 KB | 976,562.5 KiB | 1,000 MB |
Values marked ≈ are rounded to six decimal places. Unmarked values are exact.
Bytes to bits
Multiply bytes by 8. 1 byte is 8 bits, 1 KB is 8,000 bits, 1 KiB is 8,192 bits, 1 MB is 8,000,000 bits and 1 MiB is 8,388,608 bits.
What bits and bytes mean in binary
A bit is one binary digit, 0 or 1. Eight bits make a byte, and a byte can hold 2^8 = 256 different patterns, from 00000000 to 11111111. That is enough for a character in many text encodings or a color channel value from 0 to 255. Larger units count bytes: a kilobyte is 1,000 bytes and a kibibyte is 1,024 bytes.
Frequently asked questions
Why is a byte only 8 bits?
Eight bits give 256 values, enough for a letter, digit or symbol in common character sets, and eight is a power of two, which suits binary hardware. The 8-bit byte became the standard through widely used 1960s computer designs and has stayed.
Is 16 bits 4 bytes?
No. 16 bits is 2 bytes. It takes 32 bits to make 4 bytes.
What are bits and bytes in binary?
A bit is one binary digit, 0 or 1. A byte is 8 bits, for example 01000001, and can hold 256 different values.
What are 32 bits called?
32 bits is 4 bytes. Many systems call it a word or a double word, and it is the size of an IPv4 address and of a common integer type.
Is 1024 bytes equal to 1 MB?
No. 1,024 bytes is 1 KiB, about 1.024 KB. 1 MB is 1,000,000 bytes (decimal) and 1 MiB is 1,048,576 bytes (binary).
How many bits are in a byte and in a megabyte?
There are 8 bits in a byte. A megabyte holds 8,000,000 bits, and a mebibyte holds 8,388,608.
How do I convert bits to KB?
Divide the bits by 8,000 for decimal kilobytes, or by 8,192 for kibibytes. 12,000 bits = 1.5 KB.
Does this converter upload my numbers?
No. The conversion runs in your browser with exact integer arithmetic, so nothing you type leaves the page.