The short answer
A GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes. A GiB is 1,073,741,824 bytes. The same byte count therefore has different numerical values in GB and GiB. A change in displayed units is not evidence that file bytes disappeared.
Keep the byte count as the common reference
Convert a quantity into bytes before converting it to another unit. One decimal TB contains 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. Dividing by 1,073,741,824 gives about 931.323 GiB. This is a unit conversion; it does not account for filesystem metadata or reserved space.
Read labels carefully
Some interfaces use familiar labels differently. When comparing capacities, look for the provider’s definition and use byte counts where available. Keep megabytes (MB) distinct from megabits (Mb), particularly when moving from capacity calculations to network rates.
Use consistent units in a forecast
Do not add a growth figure measured in GiB directly to a decimal-GB total. Convert both first, keep sufficient precision during the calculation and round only for display. The storage converter supports both decimal and binary families.
Checklist
- 1Record the original unit.
- 2Convert to bytes.
- 3Convert bytes to the destination unit.
- 4Round the displayed result, not every intermediate step.
Good questions. Clear answers.
Is 1 GB equal to 1 GiB?
No. 1 GB is about 0.931323 GiB; 1 GiB is about 1.073742 GB.
Are MB/s and Mbps the same?
No. One byte contains eight bits, so 1 MB/s equals 8 Mbps in decimal units.