Skip to content
UnitCalculators.com

Megabytes to gigabytes

Multiply megabytes by 0.001 to get gigabytes.

1 MB = 0.001 GBIEC 80000-13
MB
1.024GB

1,024 MB = 1.024 GB

How to convert megabytes to gigabytes

The gigabyte is one billion bytes (10⁹ B) in the decimal convention. The megabyte is one million bytes (10⁶ B) in the decimal convention.

Worked example — 1,024 MB: 1,024 × 0.001 = 1.024 GB.

Megabytes to gigabytes table

Common conversions. The reverse table is on gigabytes to megabytes.
MegabytesGigabytes
100 MB0.1 GB
250 MB0.25 GB
500 MB0.5 GB
1,000 MB1 GB
1,024 MB1.024 GB
2,000 MB2 GB
4,000 MB4 GB
8,000 MB8 GB
16,000 MB16 GB

Reverse and related

About megabytes and gigabytes

Megabyte (MB)

1 MB = 0.001 GB

Definition. One million bytes (10⁶ B) in the decimal convention

History and origin

The megabyte applies the metric mega prefix for a million, and like the kilobyte was historically used for both a million and 1048576 bytes. The decimal million-byte value is now the standard for storage.

Current use

Megabytes measure photos, songs and small downloads, and mobile data is often counted in megabytes.

Source: IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes

Gigabyte (GB)

1 GB = 1,000 MB

Definition. One billion bytes (10⁹ B) in the decimal convention

History and origin

The gigabyte uses the metric giga prefix for a billion bytes. Drive makers label capacity in decimal gigabytes, while operating systems often report the binary gibibyte, which is why sizes seem to disagree.

Current use

Gigabytes measure phone storage, memory and mobile data plans.

Source: IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes

Where people use this

Megabytes: photos and songs, data caps. Gigabytes: phone storage, mobile data plans. 1000 MB is 1 GB in the decimal convention.

How we know this is right
The factor is fixed by the standards that define the units, not chosen — so it is exact, not a measurement:
1 GB = 1,000 MB, so 1 MB = 1 ÷ 1,000 = 0.001 GB.

Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.

Both units are defined in IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes.

Questions people ask

How many MB in a GB?

One gigabyte is 1000 megabytes in the decimal convention that drives and data plans use. To convert MB to GB, divide by 1000.

How many GB is 500 MB?

500 MB is 0.5 GB, and 2000 MB is 2 GB.

Is 1024 MB a GB?

In binary (a gibibyte) yes, but in the decimal GB used for storage, 1000 MB is 1 GB.

How many MB is 5 GB?

5 GB is 5000 MB in the decimal convention.

All megabyte conversions