Kilobyte to Exabyte Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

Convert kilobytes to exabytes with our free online data storage converter.

From:

Kilobyte

To:

Exabyte

How to Use the Calculator:

Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Kilobyte).
The converted value in Exabyte 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 Kilobyte to Exabyte

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

Formula:

1 Kilobyte = 1.0000e-15 exabytes

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 kilobytes: 10 × 1.0000e-15 = 1.0000e-14 exabytes

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 Kilobyte and a Exabyte?

A kilobyte (KB) is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. The International System of Units (SI) defines the prefix kilo as 1000 (103); therefore, one kilobyte is 1000 bytes.

However, the term is also widely used in computing contexts to represent 1024 (210) bytes. This usage technically refers to a kibibyte (KiB), a unit defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) specifically for binary multiples.

An exabyte (EB) is a unit of digital information storage equal to 1018 bytes (one quintillion bytes, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes). It uses the standard SI decimal prefix 'exa-'. One exabyte is equivalent to 1,000 petabytes or one million terabytes.

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

History of the Kilobyte and Exabyte

Early computer memory was often organized in powers of two, making 1024 a convenient multiplier for calculations. This led to the common but conflicting use of "kilobyte" to mean 1024 bytes. To resolve this ambiguity, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) introduced binary prefixes (kibi-, mebi-, gibi-, etc.) in 1998. This standard designated KiB specifically for 1024 bytes and reaffirmed KB strictly for 1000 bytes. Despite the standard, adoption varies, and the dual usage sometimes causes confusion, particularly in marketing versus operating system reporting.

The prefix 'exa-' (representing 1018) was adopted as an SI prefix by the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) in 1975. The application of this prefix to the byte (exabyte) became necessary with the exponential growth of digital data, driven by the internet, large-scale scientific computing, big data analytics, and the expansion of cloud storage services. It represents a scale of data far beyond what was common in earlier computing eras.

Common Uses for kilobytes and exabytes

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

Common Uses for kilobytes

The kilobyte (KB), representing 1000 bytes, is commonly used for:

Measuring the size of small files (e.g., plain text documents, configuration files, simple icons).
Quantifying cache sizes in processors (though sometimes KiB might be implied).
Specifying data transfer rates in kilobytes per second (KB/s) in some contexts (though kilobits per second, kbps, is more common for network speeds).
Used by some storage device manufacturers (like hard drives, SSDs, USB drives) to define capacity based on the decimal system.

The informal use representing 1024 bytes (correctly KiB) appeared frequently in:

Quantifying early computer memory capacity.
Reporting file sizes or disk space by some older operating systems or software.

Common Uses for exabytes

Exabytes are used to measure extremely large volumes of data storage capacity or accumulated data, typically in contexts such as:

Total storage capacity of major cloud providers (like AWS, Google Cloud, Azure).
Aggregate size of the entire internet or large portions of it.
Annual global data creation estimates.
Storage requirements for massive scientific projects (e.g., Large Hadron Collider, Square Kilometre Array).
Capacity of national archives or vast digital libraries.
Discussions about future data storage needs and technologies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions About Kilobyte (KB)

How many bytes are in a kilobyte?

According to the official SI standard, 1 kilobyte (KB) = 1000 bytes. However, historically and in some computing contexts (especially relating to RAM or older software), "kilobyte" was informally used to mean 1024 bytes. The correct term for 1024 bytes is 1 kibibyte (KiB). Always check the context or look for the specific symbol (KB vs. KiB) if precision is important.

What is the difference between KB and KiB?

KB (kilobyte): Based on the decimal prefix 'kilo-', meaning 1000 bytes (103 bytes). This is the SI standard.
KiB (kibibyte): Based on the binary prefix 'kibi-', meaning 1024 bytes (210 bytes). This is the IEC standard for binary multiples.

A kibibyte (KiB) is 2.4% larger than a kilobyte (KB) (1 KiB = 1.024 KB). Using KiB when referring to 1024 bytes avoids ambiguity.

Is a megabyte 1000 or 1024 kilobytes?

Similar confusion exists for larger units. Following the standards:

A megabyte (MB) is 1000 kilobytes (KB), which equals 1,000,000 bytes (1000 * 1000).
A mebibyte (MiB) is 1024 kibibytes (KiB), which equals 1,048,576 bytes (1024 * 1024).

Manufacturers often use MB (decimal) for capacity, while operating systems might use MiB (binary) or ambiguously use MB to mean MiB, leading to apparent discrepancies in storage size.

About Exabyte (EB)

How many bytes are in an exabyte?

There are 1018 (one quintillion, or 1 followed by 18 zeros) bytes in 1 exabyte (EB).

How many petabytes (PB) are in an exabyte (EB)?

There are 1,000 petabytes (PB) in 1 exabyte (EB).

How many gigabytes (GB) are in an exabyte (EB)?

There are 1,000,000,000 (one billion) gigabytes (GB) in 1 exabyte (EB).

What is the difference between an exabyte (EB) and an exbibyte (EiB)?

An exabyte (EB) uses the decimal prefix 'exa-' meaning 1018 bytes. An exbibyte (EiB) uses the binary prefix 'exbi-' meaning 260 bytes (1,152,921,504,606,846,976 bytes). An exbibyte is approximately 15% larger than an exabyte (1 EiB ≈ 1.15 EB). While binary prefixes (like GiB) are common for RAM, the distinction between EB and EiB is less frequently encountered in everyday use but is important in technical specifications requiring precision at massive scales.

Conversion Table: Kilobyte to Exabyte

Kilobyte (KB)	Exabyte (EB)
1	0
5	0
10	0
25	0
50	0
100	0
500	0
1,000	0

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 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 Megabit to Tebibyte