Bytes to Bits Converter
Convert bytes to bits instantly and accurately. 1 B = 8 b. Type any value below — the result updates as you type.
How to convert bytes to bits
1 B = 8 b. To convert bytes to bits, multiply the value by 8.
Example: 10 B × 8 = 80 b.
Going the other way, 1 b = 0.125 B.
Bytes to bits conversion table
| Bytes (B) | Bits (b) |
|---|---|
| 1 B | 8 b |
| 2 B | 16 b |
| 3 B | 24 b |
| 4 B | 32 b |
| 5 B | 40 b |
| 6 B | 48 b |
| 7 B | 56 b |
| 8 B | 64 b |
| 9 B | 72 b |
| 10 B | 80 b |
| 15 B | 120 b |
| 20 B | 160 b |
| 25 B | 200 b |
| 30 B | 240 b |
| 40 B | 320 b |
| 50 B | 400 b |
| 75 B | 600 b |
| 100 B | 800 b |
| 250 B | 2000 b |
| 500 B | 4000 b |
| 1000 B | 8000 b |
Eight bits in every byte
A bit is a single 0 or 1, and a byte groups eight of them, so the conversion is bits = bytes × 8. Eight bits can form 256 different patterns, which is why one byte holds a value from 0 to 255.
Hexadecimal makes the link easy to see. Each hex digit stands for 4 bits, so every byte is exactly two hex digits. A 32-byte value is 256 bits and is written as 64 hex characters, which is why a 256-bit key looks the way it does.
Mbps on your plan, MB/s in your browser
Internet speeds are quoted in bits per second, with a lowercase b. Download managers and browsers show bytes per second, with an uppercase B. To compare the two, divide the plan speed by 8:
| Plan speed | Best-case download rate |
|---|---|
| 50 Mbps | 6.25 MB/s |
| 100 Mbps | 12.5 MB/s |
| 300 Mbps | 37.5 MB/s |
| 1,000 Mbps | 125 MB/s |
Real transfers come in somewhat below these figures, because some of every connection carries protocol overhead rather than your file.
Using the converter with prefixes
The Bits unit here is a single bit; there's no megabit in the list. A shared prefix carries straight through the conversion, though: 12.5 megabytes is 100 megabits, just as 12.5 bytes would be 100 bits.
To go from a larger byte unit to plain bits, pick that unit in the From list. 1 MB converts to 8,000,000 bits and 1 KB to 8,000 bits, because the converter's KB and MB are decimal. Choose Kibibytes instead and 1 KiB comes out as 8,192 bits.
Bits and bytes in everyday numbers
- IP addresses. An IPv4 address is 32 bits, or 4 bytes, which is why it's written as four numbers from 0 to 255. An IPv6 address is 128 bits, or 16 bytes.
- Colour. 24-bit colour uses one byte each for red, green and blue: 3 bytes per pixel.
- Audio. A 16-bit sample takes 2 bytes per channel.
- Encryption keys. A 128-bit key is 16 bytes and a 256-bit key is 32 bytes.
In every case the bit count is just the byte count times 8.
How to use this tool
- 1Enter the value in bytes.
- 2Read the converted result in bits instantly.
- 3Use the swap button to reverse the conversion, or pick any other unit.
Frequently asked questions
How many bits are in a byte?+
8, on every modern computer and in this converter. Going the other way, 1 bit is 0.125 bytes.
How many bytes is 256 bits?+
256 bits is 32 bytes. Press the swap button and the converter divides by 8 for you.
How do I tell bits from bytes in an abbreviation?+
Lowercase b means bits and uppercase B means bytes. Mb is megabits and MB is megabytes, and the two differ by a factor of 8.
Is a byte always 8 bits?+
On modern hardware and in this converter, yes. Networking documents sometimes say octet instead, a word that means exactly 8 bits and leaves no room for doubt.
Embed this tool on your website
Free to use on blogs, school sites and intranets. Paste this code into your page's HTML; please keep the credit line.
<iframe src="https://utilityapp.lat/embed/units/bytes-to-bits" title="Bytes to Bits Converter" width="100%" height="360" style="border:0;max-width:760px" loading="lazy"></iframe> <p style="font-size:13px"><a href="https://utilityapp.lat/units/bytes-to-bits">Bytes to Bits Converter</a> by UtilityApp</p>