Divide megabytes by 1,000 to get decimal gigabytes, or by 1,024 when the size was counted in binary units.
MB to GB table
| Megabytes (MB) | Gigabytes (GB) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.001 |
| 2 | 0.002 |
| 3 | 0.003 |
| 4 | 0.004 |
| 5 | 0.005 |
| 6 | 0.006 |
| 7 | 0.007 |
| 8 | 0.008 |
| 9 | 0.009 |
| 10 | 0.01 |
| Megabytes (MB) | Gigabytes (GB) |
|---|---|
| 12 | 0.012 |
| 15 | 0.015 |
| 20 | 0.02 |
| 25 | 0.025 |
| 30 | 0.03 |
| 40 | 0.04 |
| 50 | 0.05 |
| 60 | 0.06 |
| 75 | 0.075 |
| 100 | 0.1 |
How many files fit in a gigabyte
Reverse the division to estimate capacity. A gigabyte is 1,000 MB, so it holds about 200 photos of 5 MB, about 250 songs of 4 MB or about 6 minutes of 4K phone video at roughly 170 MB per minute. Real files vary with content and settings, so a margin of 10 to 20% keeps you from running out partway through a trip.
Mobile data and cloud quotas are usually given in gigabytes too. When an app tells you how many megabytes it used this month, divide by 1,000 to see how much of the plan has gone.
- 1,000 MBin 1 GB, decimal
- 1,024 MBin 1 GB, binary
- 7.4%gap between the two at the gigabyte step
Which division your device uses
macOS has counted in decimal units since version 10.6, as have iOS and most Android phones, so their figures match drive labels. Windows still divides by 1,024 and keeps the GB label. If two computers show different sizes for the same file, this is almost always why.
The IEC symbol for the binary unit is GiB, the gibibyte. Some Linux tools print it, which makes the reading clear at a glance. Need the step down? GB to MB multiplies back out, and GB to TB handles the next prefix.
Cloud storage plans and phone capacities are sold in decimal gigabytes, so dividing by 1,000 matches what the provider counts against your quota.
One megabyte in other units
One megabyte in every other data size unit on this site
- Bits8,000,000 bit
- Bytes1,000,000 B
- Kilobytes1,000 KB
- Gigabytes0.001 GB
- Terabytes0.000001 TB
- Megabits8 Mbit
MB to GB questions
How many GB is 1,000 MB?
Exactly 1 GB in decimal units. Counted in binary steps, 1,000 MB is about 0.977 GB.
How many GB is 5,000 MB?
5 GB in decimal units, or about 4.88 GB in binary units.
How many 5 MB photos fit in 1 GB?
About 200 in decimal units. Photo sizes vary with the scene and the camera settings, so treat the figure as an estimate.
Should I divide megabytes by 1,000 or 1,024?
Divide by 1,000 when the number comes from a phone, a Mac, a cloud service or a drive label. Divide by 1,024 when it comes from Windows File Explorer or a tool that says it uses binary units.
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