Data Transfer Rate Converter

Convert between network and storage speeds in one place: bits per second, bytes per second, Kbps, Mbps, Gbps, KB/s, MB/s, GB/s and more. Use the advanced section to estimate how long it will take to upload or download a file over a given link speed.

Designed for network engineers, sysadmins, cloud architects and power users who need fast, accurate, and transparent conversions between data rate units.

Data transfer rate unit converter

Result

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Enter a value and select units to convert the data transfer rate.

Exact value in bits per second:
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Approximate bytes per second:
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The converter uses 10-based prefixes for kilo, mega, giga and tera (1 kb = 1,000 bits) and 2-based prefixes for kibi, mebi, gibi and tebi (1 Kib = 1,024 bits).

File transfer time estimator

Advanced

Combine file size and data transfer rate to estimate ideal transfer time. This is particularly useful for estimating upload/download times for backups, cloud migrations, media delivery and large file transfers.

File size

Decimal: 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes. Binary: 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes (220).

Link speed

The estimator can reuse the value and units from the main rate converter. You can also specify a custom rate:

Estimated time (ideal conditions)

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Specify file size and link speed to estimate how long the transfer will take.

Total data:
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Effective rate used:
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Time in seconds:
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Real-world transfers are slower due to protocol overhead (TCP/IP, TLS, filesystem), latency, contention and throttling. Treat this result as a best-case lower bound.

How to interpret data transfer rates

A data transfer rate indicates how much digital information can be moved per unit of time. In networking and telecommunications, speeds are usually expressed in bits per second, while in storage and file managers you more often see bytes per second.

Bit vs byte reminder

1 byte = 8 bits

Therefore:
8 Mbps ≈ 1 MB/s (ignoring overhead)

Decimal vs binary prefixes

To reduce ambiguity, this converter explicitly separates decimal and binary prefixes:

  • Decimal prefixes (10-based): kb, Mb, Gb, Tb, KB, MB, GB, TB
    1 kb = 1,000 bits, 1 MB = 1,000,000 bytes.
  • Binary prefixes (2-based): Kib, Mib, Gib, Tib, KiB, MiB, GiB, TiB
    1 Kib = 1,024 bits, 1 MiB = 1,048,576 bytes (220).

ISPs and WAN links almost always advertise speeds using decimal prefixes (for example, 100 Mbps = 100,000,000 bits/s). Operating systems may show file sizes using either convention depending on configuration.

Manual formula for converting data rates

All conversions in this tool follow two simple steps: convert to a neutral base unit, then convert to the target unit.

  1. Convert the original rate to bits per second (bps).
  2. Divide by the factor for the target unit.

General formula

Let v be the value, kfrom the factor to convert the source unit to bits per second, and kto the factor for the target unit.

bps = v × k_from
result = bps ÷ k_to

How to estimate download time from data rate

This calculator also estimates transfer time by combining file size and data rate. The underlying relationship is:

Download time formula

time (s) = total bits ÷ bits per second

In practice:

  1. Convert the file size to bytes, then multiply by 8 to get total bits.
  2. Convert your link speed (for example in Mbps or MB/s) to bits per second.
  3. Divide total bits by bits per second to get time in seconds.
  4. Convert seconds to minutes, hours or days as needed.

The transfer time estimator automates these steps and presents results in a human-friendly format (days, hours, minutes and seconds).

Typical use cases for a data transfer rate converter

Networking and internet connectivity

Network engineers, sysadmins and advanced users routinely convert between Mbps, MB/s, Gbps and related units when dimensioning links, sizing VPNs and estimating backup windows. A precise converter avoids the common 8× factor mistakes between bits and bytes.

Cloud storage and backup planning

When moving large datasets to the cloud or between data centers, you often need to answer questions such as:

  • How long will it take to upload a 5 TB backup over a 1 Gbps link?
  • What link speed is required to complete overnight replication within a 6-hour window?

By combining file size and data rate, this tool provides a quick, transparent estimate before you refine your design with more detailed performance modelling.

Media encoding, streaming and content delivery

Video and audio professionals often work with bit rates expressed in kbps or Mbps. Converting these to MB/s (and vice versa) helps verify that storage arrays, SD cards and networks can sustain the required throughput.

Good practice and limitations

  • Always double-check whether a value is in bits or bytes. Capital “B” normally indicates bytes, lowercase “b” indicates bits.
  • Remember that real-world throughput is lower than the theoretical link speed due to protocol overhead and contention.
  • Use this tool for planning, sizing and sanity checks. For final decisions, complement it with real benchmarks on your actual infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions about data transfer rates

Why is my real download speed lower than my internet plan? ▾
Internet plans are advertised using ideal line rates (for example, 100 Mbps). Real downloads are affected by protocol overhead, router performance, Wi-Fi quality, server limitations and congestion, so you typically see 70–90% of the theoretical maximum in practice.
What is the difference between Mbps, MB/s, Mib/s and MiB/s? ▾
Mbps is megabits per second, MB/s is megabytes per second. 1 byte = 8 bits, so 8 Mbps ≈ 1 MB/s. Mib/s and MiB/s use binary prefixes (mebibits, mebibytes) based on powers of 2, while Mbps and MB/s use decimal prefixes based on powers of 10.
Is this converter suitable for professional engineering work? ▾
The unit conversions are mathematically exact and suitable for professional engineering calculations. Transfer time estimates are intentionally idealised and should be combined with empirical measurements when performance or SLAs are critical.
How can I quickly sanity-check my manual calculations? ▾
A simple check is to convert to bits and bytes simultaneously. For example, if you compute that 100 Mbps = 12.5 MB/s, multiplying 12.5 by 8 should take you back to 100. The converter shows both the bits-per-second and bytes-per-second equivalents to help you spot factor-of-eight errors instantly.