KB/s to MiB/s

1 kilobyte per second equals 0.0009536743164 mebibytes per second (rounded).

1 kilobyte per second = 0.0009536743164 mebibytes per second

How to convert kilobytes per second to mebibytes per second

To convert kilobytes per second to mebibytes per second, multiply the number of kilobytes per second by 0.0009536743164. The factor is rounded to 10 significant digits. To go the other way, multiply mebibytes per second by 1,048.576.

mebibytes per second = kilobytes per second × 0.0009536743164

Example: 10 kilobytes per second = 0.009536743164 mebibytes per second.

Network speeds are quoted in bits per second (lowercase b), while file sizes use bytes (uppercase B). Divide Mbps by 8 for MB/s.

About these units

Kilobyte Per Second (kB/s)

ComputingCurrent unit

1,000 bytes per second (8 kbps). Download managers and browsers show speeds in kB/s.

Few units have had a messier history than the kilobyte. Computers had long used kilo for 1,024 because it is close to 1,000, and early floppy disks show the muddle: the Shugart SA-400 of 1976 held 109,375 bytes and was advertised as 110 Kbyte, while the Tandon double-density drive of 1978 held 368,640 bytes and was advertised as 360 KB. In 1998 the IEC specified that kilobyte should refer only to 1,000 bytes and created the kibibyte for 1,024.

The internationally recommended symbol is kB, and a kilobyte per second is 1,000 bytes per second, or 8 kbit/s. Browsers and download managers often report speeds this way, which is why a connection sold as 8 Mbit/s shows up as about 1,000 kB/s on a file transfer. Some software still divides by 1,024 and labels the result KB, so numbers from different programs may differ by a few percent.

1 kilobyte per second = 8,000 bits per second (exactly).

Sources: Wikipedia: Kilobyte; NIST: Prefixes for binary multiples; Wikipedia: Data-rate units

Mebibyte Per Second (MiB/s)

ComputingCurrent unit

1,048,576 bytes per second (8.39 Mbps). Used by some operating systems and storage tools.

Mebibyte is one of the newest words in computing. In December 1998 the IEC approved names for binary multiples, published in 1999 as an amendment to IEC 60027-2. Each keeps the first two letters of its SI counterpart and adds bi for binary, so mebi stands for 2²⁰. The aim was to stop mega meaning 10⁶ in telecommunications and storage but 2²⁰ in memory, a split that left room for incompatibility.

A mebibyte per second is 1,048,576 bytes per second, about 8.39 Mbit/s, so it is roughly 4.9 percent larger than 1 MB/s. Some operating systems and tools divide by 1,024 and then print the result with a plain MB label, so one program may show 11.9 for a transfer that another shows as 12.5. For example, a 100 Mbit/s link carries about 11.92 MiB/s at most. The IEEE chose to keep SI meanings in its own standards, allowing base-two use of mega only when explicitly noted.

1 mebibyte per second = 8,388,608 bits per second (exactly).

Sources: NIST: Prefixes for binary multiples; Wikipedia: Data-rate units; Wikipedia: Megabyte

Related conversions

See all data transfer rate units.