Convert Megabyte (MB) to Megabit (Mb) instantly.
About these units
Megabyte (MB)
A megabyte is traditionally 1,048,576 bytes (2²⁰), though storage manufacturers sometimes use the decimal version of 1,000,000 bytes. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, megabytes represented substantial storage: early PCs had 256 kB or 512 kB of RAM, and hard drives with 10–40 MB were considered spacious. Software developers worked within tight memory budgets, optimizing every byte. Megabytes remain relevant today for file sizes such as images, audio files, small binaries, and executable programs. They mark a transitional era when computing moved from kilobytes to the far larger storage capacities we now expect.
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.