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Data Transfer Rate Converter

Convert data transfer rates between Mbps, Gbps, MB/s, MiB/s and more, and estimate the download time of a file at a given connection speed.

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Formula:

≈ means the result was rounded to the chosen number of significant figures.

Internet plans are sold in bits per second (Mbit/s, Gbit/s); browsers and download managers show bytes per second (MB/s). Divide bits by 8 to get bytes: 100 Mbit/s = 12.5 MB/s.

{value} in every unit

UnitResult

Download time for a file size

Download time
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In seconds
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This is the theoretical minimum at the full rate. Protocol overhead, Wi-Fi and server limits usually add 5 to 20 %.

Quick conversion table: {from} to {to}

FromTo

Common values

ReferenceValueResult

Unit definitions

Unit

How to use the data transfer rate converter

  1. Type a rate in Value, for example your internet plan’s 300.
  2. Choose the starting unit in From and the target unit in To, for example megabit per second (Mbps) and megabyte per second. Units are grouped into bits per second, SI bytes per second (1 kB = 1,000 B) and IEC bytes per second (1 KiB = 1,024 B).
  3. The result updates as you type, with the full line below it (“100 Mbit/s = 12.5 MB/s”). Copy puts that line on your clipboard.
  4. The Swap units button (⇄) reverses the conversion, and Significant figures sets the rounding.

Download time for a file size

The second panel answers the usual question: how long will this download take? Enter the File size and its Size unit (MB, GB, GiB…), then the Connection speed and its Speed unit. The Download time updates as you type (or press Calculate time), shown as hours, minutes and seconds and In seconds. For example, a 5 GB file at 100 Mbit/s takes 5 × 8,000 Mbit ÷ 100 Mbit/s = 400 s, or 6 min 40 s.

The result is the theoretical minimum at the full rate. In practice, TCP/IP headers, Wi-Fi quality, network congestion and server limits usually make a download 5 to 20 % slower, sometimes much more.

Bits per second versus bytes per second

Internet providers, routers and network cards advertise speeds in bits per second with SI prefixes: 1 Mbit/s (Mbps) = 1,000,000 bit/s and 1 Gbit/s = 1,000 Mbit/s. Browsers, game launchers and file managers show bytes per second. Since a byte is 8 bits:

  • MB/s = Mbit/s ÷ 8, and Mbit/s = MB/s × 8;
  • 100 Mbit/s = 12.5 MB/s, 1 Gbit/s = 125 MB/s, 10 Gbit/s = 1.25 GB/s.

Some programs use binary units instead (MiB/s, where 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes): 100 Mbit/s is then about 11.92 MiB/s. The case of the letter matters: Mb is a megabit, MB a megabyte.

Typical rates

The reference table lists raw signalling rates: a 56k dial-up modem (56 kbit/s), ADSL2+ at its maximum (24 Mbit/s), USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/s), Gigabit Ethernet or a 1 Gbit/s fibre plan, USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbit/s) and 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Useful throughput is always lower: USB 2.0 rarely exceeds 35 to 40 MB/s, and Gigabit Ethernet peaks at about 112 to 118 MB/s of file transfer.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert Mbps to MB/s?

Divide by 8. A 300 Mbps connection can download at most 37.5 MB/s. Choose megabit per second (Mbps) in From and megabyte per second in To.

Why is my download slower than my plan?

Because the plan is in megabits and the download window shows megabytes: 8 times smaller. The rest of the gap comes from protocol overhead, Wi-Fi and the server’s own limit.

How long does it take to download 1 GB?

At 100 Mbit/s, 8,000 Mbit ÷ 100 = 80 seconds; at 20 Mbit/s, 400 seconds (6 min 40 s); at 1 Gbit/s, 8 seconds. Enter your own values in the download time panel.

What is the difference between MB/s and MiB/s?

MB/s counts 1,000,000 bytes per second; MiB/s counts 1,048,576. The difference is about 4.9 %, so 100 MB/s ≈ 95.37 MiB/s.

Is a Gbps ten times faster than 100 Mbps?

Yes: 1 Gbit/s = 1,000 Mbit/s, exactly ten times 100 Mbit/s. Real speeds depend on the whole path, including your router, cables and device.

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