Convert Byte (B) to Megabit (Mb) instantly.
About these units
Byte (B)
A byte consists of 8 bits, forming the standard grouping used in computing for representing characters, numbers, and machine instructions. This 8-bit size became dominant due to hardware design choices in early microprocessors, especially the IBM System/360 architecture. Bytes allow computers to represent values from 0 to 255, enabling ASCII encoding, color values, file metadata, and vast amounts of structured data. The byte is the basis for nearly all storage units—kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes—and remains the fundamental digital "counting unit" for memory, disk space, and network transfers.
Megabit (Mb)
A megabit equals 1,000,000 bits, a standard networking unit used to express data transfer rates. Internet speeds—both broadband and wireless—are typically quoted in megabits per second (Mbps). Because communication systems often care more about transfer rates than storage quantities, the megabit became a natural standard long before modern high-speed networks. The distinction between megabits (Mb) and megabytes (MB) is crucial, as confusing the two leads to misunderstandings about download times. Megabits remain central to evaluating network performance, streaming quality, and bandwidth provisioning.