Data transfer rate (bandwidth) is measured in bits per second. Networking uses bit units — kbps, Mbps, Gbps — while files use byte units — kB/s, MB/s, GB/s — and since 1 byte = 8 bits, you divide by 8 to go from bits to bytes. This converter rebases everything through bits per second, so a 100 Mbps line is 12.5 MB/s.
Reviewed: June 20, 2026 · Author: Naveen P N, Founder — AI Calculator · Verified against: decimal SI prefixes and 8 bits/byte, recomputed in code.
How the conversion works
Bit factors in bps: kbps = 1,000, Mbps = 1e6, Gbps = 1e9, Tbps = 1e12. Byte factors are 8× the bit value: B/s = 8, kB/s = 8,000, MB/s = 8e6, GB/s = 8e9. Multiply by the from-factor to land in bits per second, then divide by the to-factor. The lowercase b means bits, the uppercase B means bytes — the single most common mix-up.
Worked examples
A 100 Mbps connection to MB/s:
A 1 Gbps link to MB/s:
An 8 Mbps stream to MB/s:
So a 100 Mbps plan downloads at about 12.5 MB/s, a gigabit line at 125 MB/s, and 8 Mbps is exactly 1 MB/s — the clean way to remember the ÷ 8 rule.
Frequently Asked Questions
÷ 8. 100 Mbps = 12.5 MB/s; 1 Gbps = 125 MB/s. A byte is 8 bits.
Lowercase b = bits, uppercase B = bytes. MB/s is 8× a Mbps unit. ISPs quote Mbps; downloads show MB/s.
Networking throughput is historically in bits/sec, so plans are in Mbps/Gbps. Files are in bytes (MB/s).
Decimal SI: kilo = 1,000. Binary kibi/mebi (1,024) is a separate convention. This uses decimal.
No — time = file size ÷ rate needs the size. 1 GB over 100 Mbps (12.5 MB/s) ≈ 80 s.