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Terabyte to Gigabit Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool

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

Terabyte to Gigabit Calculator

Terabyte
Gigabit

How to Use the Calculator:

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

How to Convert Terabyte to Gigabit

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

Formula:

1 Terabyte = 8000 gigabits

Example Calculation:

Convert 10 terabytes: 10 × 8000 = 80000 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 Terabyte and a Gigabit?

A terabyte (TB) is a multiple of the byte unit for digital information storage. The prefix tera- (symbol T) is defined in the International System of Units (SI) as a multiplier of 1012 (1 trillion, or 1 followed by 12 zeros). Therefore, 1 terabyte = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. This is equivalent to 1,000 gigabytes (GB).

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 Terabyte 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 Terabyte and Gigabit

The SI prefix 'tera-' (meaning 1012) was adopted for use in computing as storage capacities reached trillions of bytes. Historically, the term 'terabyte' was often used ambiguously to refer to either 1012 bytes (the strict SI definition) or 240 bytes (1,099,511,627,776 bytes), which is the power of 2 closest to a trillion. This ambiguity, particularly noticeable in how operating systems reported disk sizes versus how manufacturers advertised them, led the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) to introduce the distinct binary prefix 'tebi-' (Ti) for 240. Thus, tebibyte (TiB) specifically denotes 240 bytes, while terabyte (TB) formally refers to 1012 bytes.

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 terabytes and gigabits

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

Common Uses for terabytes

Terabytes are widely used to measure large amounts of digital data storage capacity:

  • Specifying the capacity of consumer and enterprise hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs).
  • Measuring the size of large files, databases, archives, and backups.
  • Quantifying the storage space available in cloud storage plans and data centers.
  • Describing the amount of data transferred over networks or used in monthly internet data caps.
  • Indicating the capacity of personal computers, laptops, external drives, and network-attached storage (NAS) devices.

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 Terabyte (TB)

How many bytes are in a terabyte (TB)?

According to the standard SI definition, there are exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (one trillion bytes, or 1012 bytes) in 1 terabyte (TB).

How many gigabytes (GB) are in a terabyte (TB)?

There are 1,000 gigabytes (GB) in 1 terabyte (TB). This follows the SI prefixes: 1 TB = 1012 bytes and 1 GB = 109 bytes. Therefore, 1 TB / 1 GB = 1012 / 109 = 103 = 1,000.

What is the difference between a terabyte (TB) and a tebibyte (TiB)?

  • A terabyte (TB) uses the decimal SI prefix 'tera-' and equals 1012 bytes (1,000,000,000,000 bytes). It's commonly used in storage device marketing.
  • A tebibyte (TiB) uses the binary IEC prefix 'tebi-' and equals 240 bytes (1,099,511,627,776 bytes). It's often used by operating systems to report storage capacity based on powers of 2. A tebibyte (TiB) is approximately 9.95% larger than a terabyte (TB) (1 TiB ≈ 1.0995 TB).

What is the difference between a terabyte (TB) and a terabit (Tb)?

  • A terabyte (TB) measures data storage capacity in bytes and equals 1012 bytes.
  • A terabit (Tb) measures data quantity or data transfer speed in bits and equals 1012 bits. Assuming the standard definition of 1 byte = 8 bits, 1 terabyte (TB) is equal to 8 terabits (Tb). Calculation: 1 TB = 1012 bytes = 1012 * 8 bits = 8 * 1012 bits = 8 Tb. Therefore, a terabyte represents 8 times more data storage capacity than the equivalent number of terabits.

Why is TB often used in marketing instead of TiB?

Storage manufacturers typically market drive capacities using the decimal prefix terabyte (TB) because 1012 bytes yields a larger, rounder number compared to the equivalent value expressed using the binary prefix tebibyte (TiB) (which is 240 bytes). For instance, a hard drive containing exactly 1,000,000,000,000 bytes is advertised as 1 TB. If measured in tebibytes, this same physical capacity would be approximately 0.909 TiB (since 1012 / 240 ≈ 0.909). Using TB allows manufacturers to present higher capacity figures, which is advantageous for marketing, even though operating systems might report the capacity using the smaller TiB value.

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: Terabyte to Gigabit

Terabyte (TB)Gigabit (Gb)
18,000
540,000
1080,000
25200,000
50400,000
100800,000
5004,000,000
1,0008,000,000

All Data Storage Conversions

Bit to ByteBit to KilobitBit to KilobyteBit to MegabitBit to MegabyteBit to GigabitBit to GigabyteBit to TerabitBit to TerabyteBit to PetabitBit to PetabyteBit to ExabitBit to ExabyteBit to KibibitBit to KibibyteBit to MebibitBit to MebibyteBit to GibibitBit to GibibyteBit to TebibitBit to TebibyteBit to PebibitBit to PebibyteBit to ExbibitBit to ExbibyteByte to BitByte to KilobitByte to KilobyteByte to MegabitByte to MegabyteByte to GigabitByte to GigabyteByte to TerabitByte to TerabyteByte to PetabitByte to PetabyteByte to ExabitByte to ExabyteByte to KibibitByte to KibibyteByte to MebibitByte to MebibyteByte to GibibitByte to GibibyteByte to TebibitByte to TebibyteByte to PebibitByte to PebibyteByte to ExbibitByte to ExbibyteKilobit to BitKilobit to ByteKilobit to KilobyteKilobit to MegabitKilobit to MegabyteKilobit to GigabitKilobit to GigabyteKilobit to TerabitKilobit to TerabyteKilobit to PetabitKilobit to PetabyteKilobit to ExabitKilobit to ExabyteKilobit to KibibitKilobit to KibibyteKilobit to MebibitKilobit to MebibyteKilobit to GibibitKilobit to GibibyteKilobit to TebibitKilobit to TebibyteKilobit to PebibitKilobit to PebibyteKilobit to ExbibitKilobit to ExbibyteKilobyte to BitKilobyte to ByteKilobyte to KilobitKilobyte to MegabitKilobyte to MegabyteKilobyte to GigabitKilobyte to GigabyteKilobyte to TerabitKilobyte to TerabyteKilobyte to PetabitKilobyte to PetabyteKilobyte to ExabitKilobyte to ExabyteKilobyte to KibibitKilobyte to KibibyteKilobyte to MebibitKilobyte to MebibyteKilobyte to GibibitKilobyte to GibibyteKilobyte to TebibitKilobyte to TebibyteKilobyte to PebibitKilobyte to PebibyteKilobyte to ExbibitKilobyte to ExbibyteMegabit to BitMegabit to ByteMegabit to KilobitMegabit to KilobyteMegabit to MegabyteMegabit to GigabitMegabit to GigabyteMegabit to TerabitMegabit to TerabyteMegabit to PetabitMegabit to PetabyteMegabit to ExabitMegabit to ExabyteMegabit to KibibitMegabit to KibibyteMegabit to MebibitMegabit to MebibyteMegabit to GibibitMegabit to GibibyteMegabit to Tebibit

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