mebibyte (binary) (MiB)
1 mebibyte (binary) = 1,048,576 bytes
What is mebibyte (binary)?
A mebibyte is a binary data unit equal to 1,024 kibibytes, or 1,048,576 bytes. It is used in operating systems, RAM specifications, and software contexts where exact binary data sizes are required.
Notes: Binary prefix
Real-world uses
Mebibytes are used by operating systems when reporting RAM size and filesystem usage. Windows Task Manager and Linux tools such as "free" and "df" report memory in MiB. RAM sticks are specified in binary multiples; a "4 GB" RAM module is actually 4 GiB = 4,096 MiB.
History
The mebibyte was standardised by the IEC in 1998 alongside the kibibyte and gibibyte to eliminate the ambiguity created by the historical use of "megabyte" to mean either 1,000,000 or 1,048,576 bytes. Adoption has been gradual, with the Linux kernel and many technical tools now using MiB correctly.
Common mistakes
Confusing MiB (mebibyte, 1,048,576 bytes) with MB (megabyte, 1,000,000 bytes). A mebibyte is approximately 4.86% larger than a megabyte. Software that reports in MiB may appear to show less space than marketing specifications that use MB.
When is this conversion used?
Operating systems and storage manufacturers use different base systems (binary vs decimal), which is why a '1 TB' drive shows less than 1 TB in your file manager. Understanding this conversion prevents confusion about available storage.
How to convert mebibyte (binary) to byte
To convert mebibyte (binary) to byte, multiply the value by 1,048,576.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1048576.0
Measurement standards
The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC 80000-13) defines binary prefixes: 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes. The SI decimal prefixes (kB = 1,000 bytes, MB = 1,000,000 bytes) apply to data units as they do to all SI quantities.
Did you know?
By 2025, the global datasphere is estimated to reach 181 zettabytes — roughly 181 trillion gigabytes. If stored on standard Blu-ray discs, the stack would reach from Earth to Mars and back over 20 times.
| mebibytes (binary) | bytes |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 104,857.6 |
| 0.5 | 524,288 |
| 1 | 1,048,576 |
| 2 | 2,097,152 |
| 5 | 5,242,880 |
| 10 | 10,485,760 |
| 25 | 26,214,400 |
| 50 | 52,428,800 |
| 100 | 104,857,600 |
| 250 | 262,144,000 |
| 500 | 524,288,000 |
| 1,000 | 1.048576e+09 |
Common values
| mebibytes (binary) | bytes | |
|---|---|---|
| A text email | 0.00476837 mebibytes (binary) | 5,000 bytes |
| An MP3 song (4 min) | 3.81469727 mebibytes (binary) | 4,000,000 bytes |
| A smartphone photo | 4.76837158 mebibytes (binary) | 5,000,000 bytes |
| An HD movie | 4,768.37158203 mebibytes (binary) | 5.000000e+09 bytes |
| A full hard drive | 953,674.31640625 mebibytes (binary) | 1.000000e+12 bytes |
Full mebibyte (binary) conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| byte | 1 MiB = 1,048,576 B | × 1,048,576 |
| kilobyte (decimal) | 1 MiB = 1,048.576 kB | × 1,048.576 |
| megabyte (decimal) | 1 MiB = 1.048576 MB | × 1.048576 |
| gigabyte (decimal) | 1 MiB = 0.00104858 GB | × 0.00104858 |
| terabyte (decimal) | 1 MiB = 0.00000105 TB | × 0.00000105 |
| bit | 1 MiB = 8,388,608 b | × 8,388,608 |
| kibibyte (binary) | 1 MiB = 1,024 KiB | × 1,024 |
| gibibyte (binary) | 1 MiB = 0.00097656 GiB | × 0.00097656 |
| tebibyte (binary) | 1 MiB = 9.536743e-07 TiB | × 9.536743e-07 |