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What is a gigabyte?

Storage drive and RAM unit — 1 billion bytes (SI)

Definition

The gigabyte equals 1,000,000,000 bytes (SI) or 1,073,741,824 bytes (binary, GiB). Standard unit for USB drives, SSDs, mobile-data allowances and RAM. A 64 GB phone holds about 15,000 photos.

Common uses

  • Phone and device storage
  • Mobile-data plan allowances
  • Memory (RAM) sizes

🌍 Real-world scale

Smartphone: 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB typical. PC RAM: 16 GB / 32 GB common. UHD movie: 20–50 GB.

Convert from gigabytes

7 conversions
Gigabyte to Bit1 GB = 8,000,000,000 bGigabyte to Byte1 GB = 1,000,000,000 BGigabyte to Kilobyte1 GB = 1,000,000 KBGigabyte to Megabyte1 GB = 1,000 MBGigabyte to Terabyte1 GB = 0.001 TBGigabyte to Petabyte1 GB = 1.0000e-6 PBGigabyte to Megabit per Second1 GB = 8,000 Mbps

Convert to gigabytes

7 conversions
Bit to Gigabyte1 b = 1.2500e-10 GBByte to Gigabyte1 B = 1.0000e-9 GBKilobyte to Gigabyte1 KB = 1.0000e-6 GBMegabyte to Gigabyte1 MB = 0.001 GBTerabyte to Gigabyte1 TB = 1,000 GBPetabyte to Gigabyte1 PB = 1,000,000 GBMegabit per Second to Gigabyte1 Mbps = 0.000125 GB

Tips

  • SI: 1 GB = 1000 MB = 10⁹ B. Binary GiB = 2³⁰ B.
  • Hard drives use SI; OS may show binary — discrepancy ~7%.
  • Mobile data plans: SI GB.

Common mistakes

  • Expecting 64 GB drive to hold 64 × 1,073,741,824 B — it's 64 × 10⁹ B (7% less by binary measure).
  • Confusing GB with Gb (gigabit, 1/8).
  • Mixing GB and GiB without noting the discrepancy.

FAQ about the gigabyte

What is a gigabyte?
The gigabyte equals 1,000,000,000 bytes (SI) or 1,073,741,824 bytes (binary, GiB). Standard unit for USB drives, SSDs, mobile-data allowances and RAM. A 64 GB phone holds about 15,000 photos.
Where is the gigabyte used?
The gigabyte is commonly used for: Phone and device storage; Mobile-data plan allowances; Memory (RAM) sizes.
What is an example of a gigabyte in real life?
Smartphone: 64 GB / 128 GB / 256 GB typical. PC RAM: 16 GB / 32 GB common. UHD movie: 20–50 GB.
What category does the gigabyte belong to?
The gigabyte is a unit of data, part of the 8-unit data category on UnitConv.
How accurate are gigabyte conversions?
All conversion factors follow NIST and BIPM international standards to 8 significant figures — the highest practical accuracy.
Explore all 8 data units and their conversions.💾 Data hub →