Kilobyte to Gigabit Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

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

From:

Kilobyte

To:

Gigabit

How to Use the Calculator:

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

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

Formula:

1 Kilobyte = 8.0000e-6 gigabits

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 kilobytes: 10 × 8.0000e-6 = 8.0000e-5 gigabits

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 Gigabit?

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.

A gigabit (Gb) is a unit of digital information equal to 109 bits, or 1,000,000,000 bits. It uses the standard SI decimal prefix 'giga-'. It is commonly used to measure data transfer rates.

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

History of the Kilobyte and Gigabit

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 'giga-' originates from the Greek word "gigas," meaning "giant," and was adopted as an SI prefix in 1960 to denote a factor of 109 (one billion). In computing and telecommunications, the gigabit became prominent with the rise of high-speed networking technologies like Gigabit Ethernet in the late 1990s and early 2000s. While 'giga-' strictly means 109, its usage sometimes caused confusion with binary multiples (230), leading to the creation of the IEC binary prefix 'gibi-' (Gib).

Common Uses for kilobytes and gigabits

Explore the typical applications for both Kilobyte (imperial/US) and Gigabit (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 gigabits

Measuring data transfer rates, especially network speeds (e.g., Gigabit Ethernet at 1 Gbps, internet connection speeds).
Specifying the bandwidth of communication channels.
Sometimes used in the context of memory chip density or storage capacity, although Gigabyte (GB) is far more common for storage.
Calculating download/upload times based on file size (in GB or GiB) and network speed (in Gbps).

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 Gigabit (Gb)

How many bits are in a gigabit?

There are exactly 1,000,000,000 (one billion or 109) bits in 1 gigabit (Gb).

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

A gigabit (Gb) measures data in bits, while a gigabyte (GB) measures data in bytes. Assuming the standard 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 gigabyte (GB) is equal to 8 gigabits (Gb). Network speeds are usually in Gbps (gigabits per second), while file sizes are usually in GB (gigabytes).

What is the difference between a gigabit (Gb) and a gibibit (Gib)?

A gigabit (Gb) uses the decimal prefix 'giga-' and equals 109 (1,000,000,000) bits. A gibibit (Gib) uses the binary prefix 'gibi-' and equals 230 (1,073,741,824) bits. A gibibit is approximately 7.37% larger than a gigabit.

Is Gbps the same as GBps?

No. Gbps stands for gigabits per second, while GBps stands for gigabytes per second. Since 1 byte = 8 bits, a transfer rate of 1 GBps is eight times faster than a transfer rate of 1 Gbps. Network speeds are almost always advertised in Gbps.

Conversion Table: Kilobyte to Gigabit

Kilobyte (KB)	Gigabit (Gb)
1	0
5	0
10	0
25	0
50	0
100	0.001
500	0.004
1,000	0.008

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 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 Megabit to Tebibyte