TB to GB converter

What is a TB to GB converter?

A TB to GB converter is a tool that translates data storage values between terabytes (TB) and gigabytes (GB), as well as between tebibytes (TiB) and gibibytes (GiB). These conversions are essential for accurately interpreting storage capacities in devices, files, or digital services, especially since two distinct measurement systems exist: the SI (decimal) system and the binary (IEC) system.

Understanding data storage units

SI (Decimal) system

In the International System of Units (SI), storage units follow a base-10 structure:

• 1 terabyte (TB) = $10^{12}$ bytes = 1,000 gigabytes (GB).
• 1 gigabyte (GB) = $10^{9}$ bytes = 1,000 megabytes (MB).

Binary (IEC) system

The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standard uses base-2 prefixes:

• 1 tebibyte (TiB) = $2^{40}$ bytes = 1,024 gibibytes (GiB).
• 1 gibibyte (GiB) = $2^{30}$ bytes = 1,024 mebibytes (MiB).

Confusion often arises because operating systems and software frequently report storage in GiB/TiB but label them as “GB/TB,” leading to discrepancies between advertised and actual storage.

Formula

SI system conversion

To convert TB to GB:

IEC system conversion

To convert TiB to GiB:

Converting between SI and IEC units

To convert TiB to GB (binary to decimal):

Examples

Example 1: Hard drive capacity

A manufacturer advertises a hard drive as 2 TB. Using the SI system:

However, your operating system uses IEC units:

Example 2: Video file storage

A video project requires 5.5 TiB of space. To convert to GiB:

In SI units:

Example 3: Cloud storage plans

A cloud service offers 10 TB of storage. In GB:

In IEC units:

Notes

• Labeling Matters: A “1 TB” drive in stores is $1{,}000\ \text{GB}$ (SI) but appears as $931.32\ \text{GiB}$ in an OS.
• Precision: Use IEC units for technical calculations (e.g., RAM, file systems).
• Historical Context: The binary system was formalized in 1998 to resolve ambiguity between decimal and binary interpretations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many gigabytes are in a TB?

In the SI system:

In the IEC system (converting TiB to GB):

Why does my 1 TB hard drive show only 931 GB?

Manufacturers use SI units ($1\ \text{TB} = 1{,}000\ \text{GB}$), but operating systems use IEC units:

How to convert 3 TiB to GB?

First, convert TiB to GiB:

Then convert GiB to GB:

What is the difference between TB and TiB?

• TB (SI): $1\ \text{TB} = 10^{12}\ \text{bytes}$.
• TiB (IEC): $1\ \text{TiB} = 2^{40}\ \text{bytes} = 1{,}099.51\ \text{GB}$.

How to convert 512 GiB to GB?

Multiply GiB by the conversion factor $1.073741824$: