A Petabyte (PB) is 1024 TB (binary) or 1000 TB (decimal). It is used to describe very large data stores - for example, Facebook reportedly processes over 1 PB of data daily.

Data Storage Converter - GB to MB, TB to GB, Binary & Decimal

Q: How many bits are in 1 byte?

There are exactly 8 bits in 1 byte. This applies to both binary and decimal standards.

Data Storage Units Explained

Digital storage is measured in bits and bytes. There are two competing standards: binary (IEC), which uses powers of 1024, and decimal (SI), which uses powers of 1000. This difference explains why a "1 TB" hard drive shows less storage in your operating system - OS reports in binary, manufacturers advertise in decimal.

Binary vs Decimal Storage

Unit	Binary (1024)	Decimal (1000)
Kilobyte (KB)	1,024 Bytes	1,000 Bytes
Megabyte (MB)	1,024 KB = 1,048,576 B	1,000 KB = 1,000,000 B
Gigabyte (GB)	1,024 MB	1,000 MB
Terabyte (TB)	1,024 GB	1,000 GB
Petabyte (PB)	1,024 TB	1,000 TB

Frequently Asked Questions

How many MB are in 1 GB?

In binary (IEC standard), 1 GB = 1024 MB. In decimal (SI standard), 1 GB = 1000 MB. Hard drive manufacturers use the decimal standard, which is why a '1 TB' drive shows as ~931 GB on your computer.

What is the difference between binary and decimal storage units?

Binary uses powers of 1024 (1 KB = 1024 B), defined by IEC as kibibyte (KiB). Decimal uses powers of 1000 (1 KB = 1000 B), used by storage manufacturers. Operating systems typically use binary, causing the apparent discrepancy in drive capacities.

How many GB is 1 TB?

In binary: 1 TB = 1024 GB. In decimal: 1 TB = 1000 GB. A 1 TB hard drive from a manufacturer may show only about 931 GB in Windows, which uses binary calculation.

How many bits are in 1 byte?

There are exactly 8 bits in 1 byte. This is universally consistent in both binary and decimal standards.

What is a Petabyte?

A Petabyte (PB) is 1024 TB (binary) or 1000 TB (decimal). It is used to describe very large data stores - cloud providers and data centres operate at petabyte scale.