Megabit to Gigabit Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

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

From:

Megabit

To:

Gigabit

How to Use the Calculator:

Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Megabit).
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 Megabit to Gigabit

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

Formula:

1 Megabit = 0.001 gigabits

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 megabits: 10 × 0.001 = 0.01 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 Megabit and a Gigabit?

A megabit (Mb or Mbit) is a multiple of the bit unit for digital information or computer storage. The prefix mega- (symbol M) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 106 (1 million). Therefore, 1 megabit = 1,000,000 bits (or 1000 kilobits).

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 Megabit 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 Megabit and Gigabit

As data transfer speeds increased beyond the kilobit range, the megabit became a common unit, particularly in networking and telecommunications. Like the kilobit, it generally adheres to the SI standard (106 bits) rather than the binary interpretation sometimes used for bytes (which would be 220 bits, correctly termed a mebibit). The introduction of binary prefixes like 'mebi-' aimed to resolve this potential ambiguity.

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 megabits and gigabits

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

Common Uses for megabits

Measuring data transfer rates (e.g., internet connection speeds in Mbps - megabits per second).
Quantifying network bandwidth.
Specifying the capacity of older storage media or certain types of memory chips.
Video and audio bitrates (e.g., streaming quality often measured in Mbps).

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 Megabit (Mb)

How many bits are in a megabit?

There are exactly 1,000,000 bits (or 106 bits) in 1 megabit (Mb), based on the standard SI definition of the prefix 'mega-'.

What is the difference between a megabit (Mb) and a megabyte (MB)?

A megabit (Mb) measures bits and equals 1,000,000 bits. It's often used for data transfer rates.
A megabyte (MB) measures bytes. According to SI standards, it equals 1,000,000 bytes. (Note: Historically, MB was sometimes used informally for 1,048,576 bytes, which is correctly termed a mebibyte (MiB)).

Since 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 megabyte (1,000,000 bytes) is equal to 8,000,000 bits. Therefore, a megabyte represents 8 times more data than a megabit.

What is the difference between a megabit (Mb) and a mebibit (Mib)?

A megabit (Mb) uses the decimal SI prefix 'mega-' and equals 106 bits (1,000,000 bits).
A mebibit (Mib) uses the binary IEC prefix 'mebi-' and equals 220 bits (1,048,576 bits).

A mebibit is approximately 4.86% larger than a megabit (1 Mib ≈ 1.0486 Mb). Using Mib provides clarity when specifically referring to 1,048,576 bits.

If my internet speed is 100 Mbps, how fast is that in MBps?

To convert Mbps (megabits per second) to MBps (megabytes per second), you divide by 8 (since 1 byte = 8 bits). So, 100 Mbps / 8 = 12.5 MBps. This means you can theoretically download 12.5 megabytes of data per second.

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: Megabit to Gigabit

Megabit (Mb)	Gigabit (Gb)
1	0.001
5	0.005
10	0.01
25	0.025
50	0.05
100	0.1
500	0.5
1,000	1

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 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