Gigabyte to Byte Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

Convert gigabytes to bytes with our free online data storage converter.

From:

Gigabyte

To:

Byte

How to Use the Calculator:

Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Gigabyte).
The converted value in Byte will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Data Storage category.
Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.

How to Convert Gigabyte to Byte

Converting Gigabyte to Byte involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.

Formula:

1 Gigabyte = 1000000000 bytes

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 gigabytes: 10 × 1000000000 = 10000000000 bytes

Disclaimer: For Reference Only

These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.

Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.

What is a Gigabyte and a Byte?

A gigabyte (GB) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 109 bytes (one billion bytes). It uses the standard SI decimal prefix 'giga-'. One gigabyte is equivalent to 1,000 megabytes (MB).

A byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of 8 bits. Historically, the size of the byte has been hardware-dependent, but 8 bits is now universally accepted as the standard (also known as an octet).

Note: The Gigabyte is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Byte belongs to the imperial/US customary system.

History of the Gigabyte and Byte

The prefix 'giga-' (meaning billion) was adopted as an SI prefix in 1960. Its application to the byte (gigabyte) became widespread with the increasing capacity of computer storage media like hard drives in the 1980s and 1990s. Historically, 'gigabyte' was sometimes ambiguously used to mean 10243 (230) bytes, leading to confusion. This ambiguity prompted the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to introduce the distinct binary prefix 'gibi-' (Gi) for 230 bytes (gibibyte, GiB), clarifying that gigabyte (GB) strictly refers to 109 bytes according to SI standards.

The term "byte" was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 during the early design phase for the IBM Stretch computer. It originally described a group of bits used to encode a single character, with the size varying (often 4 to 6 bits). The 8-bit byte became standard with the introduction of the IBM System/360 in the 1960s.

Common Uses for gigabytes and bytes

Explore the typical applications for both Gigabyte (imperial/US) and Byte (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.

Common Uses for gigabytes

Gigabytes are one of the most common units for measuring digital storage capacity and file sizes today:

Capacity of hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), USB flash drives, and memory cards.
Size of large files like high-definition movies, software applications, operating systems, and game installations.
Measuring Random Access Memory (RAM) capacity (though gibibyte, GiB, is technically more precise and often used by OS reporting).
Quantifying data usage in mobile data plans or internet bandwidth caps.
Cloud storage service allocations and usage.

Common Uses for bytes

Measuring file sizes (e.g., kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes).
Representing single characters in character encoding systems (like ASCII, UTF-8).
Quantifying computer memory (RAM) and storage capacity (hard drives, SSDs).
Defining data types in programming languages (e.g., byte, char).

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Gigabyte (GB)

How many bytes are in a gigabyte (GB)?

There are exactly 1,000,000,000 (one billion or 109) bytes in 1 gigabyte (GB).

How many megabytes (MB) are in a gigabyte (GB)?

There are 1,000 megabytes (MB) in 1 gigabyte (GB), following the SI decimal standard.

What is the difference between a gigabyte (GB) and a gibibyte (GiB)?

A gigabyte (GB) uses the decimal prefix 'giga-' and equals 109 (1,000,000,000) bytes. A gibibyte (GiB) uses the binary prefix 'gibi-' and equals 230 (1,073,741,824) bytes. A gibibyte is approximately 7.37% larger than a gigabyte (1 GiB ≈ 1.074 GB). GB is typically used for storage device marketing and data transfer contexts, while GiB is often used by operating systems (like Windows) for reporting storage capacity and RAM size.

What is the difference between a gigabyte (GB) and a gigabit (Gb)?

A gigabyte (GB) measures data storage in bytes, while a gigabit (Gb) measures data in bits, commonly used for data transfer rates (e.g., Gbps). Since 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 gigabyte (GB) is equal to 8 gigabits (Gb). File sizes are usually measured in GB, while network speeds are usually measured in Gbps.

About Byte (B)

How many bits are in a byte?

There are 8 bits in one byte according to the modern standard.

What's the difference between a bit (b) and a byte (B)?

A bit is the smallest unit (0 or 1), while a byte is a group of 8 bits. Data storage is usually measured in Bytes (B, KB, MB, GB), while data transfer rates are often measured in bits (bps, kbps, Mbps).

How many values can a byte represent?

An 8-bit byte can represent 2^8 = 256 different values (from 0 to 255).

Why 8 bits?

The 8-bit standard emerged partly because it efficiently represents powers of 2 and accommodates encoding schemes like ASCII, which initially used 7 bits plus a parity bit.

Conversion Table: Gigabyte to Byte

Gigabyte (GB)	Byte (B)
1	1,000,000,000
5	5,000,000,000
10	10,000,000,000
25	25,000,000,000
50	50,000,000,000
100	100,000,000,000
500	500,000,000,000
1,000	1,000,000,000,000

All Data Storage Conversions

Bit to Byte Bit to Kilobit Bit to Kilobyte Bit to Megabit Bit to Megabyte Bit to Gigabit Bit to Gigabyte Bit to Terabit Bit to Terabyte Bit to Petabit Bit to Petabyte Bit to Exabit Bit to Exabyte Bit to Kibibit Bit to Kibibyte Bit to Mebibit Bit to Mebibyte Bit to Gibibit Bit to Gibibyte Bit to Tebibit Bit to Tebibyte Bit to Pebibit Bit to Pebibyte Bit to Exbibit Bit to Exbibyte Byte to Bit Byte to Kilobit Byte to Kilobyte Byte to Megabit Byte to Megabyte Byte to Gigabit Byte to Gigabyte Byte to Terabit Byte to Terabyte Byte to Petabit Byte to Petabyte Byte to Exabit Byte to Exabyte Byte to Kibibit Byte to Kibibyte Byte to Mebibit Byte to Mebibyte Byte to Gibibit Byte to Gibibyte Byte to Tebibit Byte to Tebibyte Byte to Pebibit Byte to Pebibyte Byte to Exbibit Byte to Exbibyte Kilobit to Bit Kilobit to Byte Kilobit to Kilobyte Kilobit to Megabit Kilobit to Megabyte Kilobit to Gigabit Kilobit to Gigabyte Kilobit to Terabit Kilobit to Terabyte Kilobit to Petabit Kilobit to Petabyte Kilobit to Exabit Kilobit to Exabyte Kilobit to Kibibit Kilobit to Kibibyte Kilobit to Mebibit Kilobit to Mebibyte Kilobit to Gibibit Kilobit to Gibibyte Kilobit to Tebibit Kilobit to Tebibyte Kilobit to Pebibit Kilobit to Pebibyte Kilobit to Exbibit Kilobit to Exbibyte Kilobyte to Bit Kilobyte to Byte Kilobyte to Kilobit Kilobyte to Megabit Kilobyte to Megabyte Kilobyte to Gigabit Kilobyte to Gigabyte Kilobyte to Terabit Kilobyte to Terabyte Kilobyte to Petabit Kilobyte to Petabyte Kilobyte to Exabit Kilobyte to Exabyte Kilobyte to Kibibit Kilobyte to Kibibyte Kilobyte to Mebibit Kilobyte to Mebibyte Kilobyte to Gibibit Kilobyte to Gibibyte Kilobyte to Tebibit Kilobyte to Tebibyte Kilobyte to Pebibit Kilobyte to Pebibyte Kilobyte to Exbibit Kilobyte to Exbibyte Megabit to Bit Megabit to Byte Megabit to Kilobit Megabit to Kilobyte Megabit to Megabyte Megabit to Gigabit Megabit to Gigabyte Megabit to Terabit Megabit to Terabyte Megabit to Petabit Megabit to Petabyte Megabit to Exabit Megabit to Exabyte Megabit to Kibibit Megabit to Kibibyte Megabit to Mebibit Megabit to Mebibyte Megabit to Gibibit Megabit to Gibibyte Megabit to Tebibit