Data storage today is conventionally calculated in Gigabyte, Megabyte, or Kilobyte, so you may want to know how many bytes are in a Megabyte.
When you want to buy a tech device, the first thing you might think about is the storage of that device.
The two most common unit you would be interested in is how many Gigabyte or Megabyte the device capacity is.
A Megabyte is equal to 1 000 000 bytes (1 million bytes) in the decimal calculation.
In the binary calculation, a Megabyte is equal to 1 048 576 bytes (1 Million 48 thousand 576 Bytes).
To understand this matter, you need to know more about how Binary and Decimal calculations work.
Today, I will show you the full calculation of how many bytes are in a megabyte.
Understand More The Binary vs Decimal
Decimal is the ideal system of counting that we use in our modern life.
When you count numbers from 0 to 9 you use one decimal (digit) only (e.g. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9).
However, when you want to start going beyond 9 you need to add another decimal (digit) and this starts by 10 (e.g. 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19).
The same thing applies to a hundred and a thousand.
You need to add 3 decimals to get a hundred and 4 decimals to get a thousand.
That’s the logic of how decimals function, which is called the “Base Ten Positional” counting.
Now Binary works the exact same way as the Positional counting.
The only different logic for Binary is that instead of going from 0 to 9, it goes from 0 to 1.
This means that the maximum ideal digit that a binary can reach is 1.
So a Decimal has an increasing value of 10, rather than 2 values for a Binary.
The last thing is that Binary is mostly used on software programs and computers’ operating systems, while Decimal is used by modern civilization.
How Many Bytes Are in a Megabyte
A 1 Megabyte is equal to 1 000 000 Bytes or 1 000 Kilobytes in the Decimal calculation.
There are 1 048 576 bytes or 1024 Kilobytes in a Megabyte by following the Binary calculation.
These two-number may seem different to you, but you would look to consider the Decimal calculation when you download a video or an audio file.
By using the Decimal calculation you will no longer get confused.
Examples of Megabyte are:
- A High resolution 5 MB JPEG that you saw on the Internet with 15 Megapixels (MP).
- An image with a RAW format that you’ve captured with your DSLR or EOS camera.
- A software that you’ve downloaded from the Internet to use on your PC.
- A CD with a capacity of 700 MB with (350 images of 2 MB).
- An example of your Internet connection speed when it’s equal to 3 Megabytes for example.
| Unit | Decimal Calculation | Binary Calculation (ideal) |
| 1 Megabyte (MB) | 1 000 000 Bytes | 1 048 576 Bytes |
| 10 Megabytes (MB) | 10 000 000 Bytes | 10 485 760 Bytes |
| 20 Megabytes (MB) | 20 000 000 Bytes | 20 971 520 Bytes |
| 30 Megabytes (MB) | 30 000 000 Bytes | 31 457 280 Bytes |
| 40 Megabytes (MB) | 40 000 000 Bytes | 41 943 040 Bytes |
| 50 Megabytes (MB) | 50 000 000 Bytes | 52 428 800 Bytes |
| 60 Megabytes (MB) | 60 000 000 Bytes | 62 914 560 Bytes |
| 70 Megabytes (MB) | 70 000 000 Bytes | 73 400 320 Bytes |
| 80 Megabytes (MB) | 80 000 000 Bytes | 83 886 080 Bytes |
| 90 Megabytes (MB) | 90 000 000 Bytes | 94 371 840 Bytes |
| 100 Megabytes (MB) | 100 000 000 Bytes | 104 857 600 Bytes |
| 200 Megabytes (MB) | 200 000 000 Bytes | 209 715 200 Bytes |
| 300 Megabytes (MB) | 300 000 000 Bytes | 314 572 800 Bytes |
| 400 Megabytes (MB) | 400 000 000 Bytes | 419 430 400 Bytes |
| 500 Megabytes (MB) | 500 000 000 Bytes | 524 288 000 Bytes |
Is a Megabyte Bigger Than a Gigabyte?
No, Megabyte is smaller than Gigabyte, therefore, Gigabyte is smaller than Terabyte.
To simplify it, the chronological order of the data storage units is:
- Bit (Which is the smallest unit)
- Nibble
- Byte
- Kilobyte (KB)
- Megabyte (MB)
- Gigabyte (GB) or 1 000 Megabytes (1 GB = 1000 MB) which means that (GB > MB).
- Terabyte (TB)
- Petabyte (PB)
- Exabyte (EB)
- Zettabyte (ZB)
- Yottabyte (YB)
As of 2020, Yottabyte is the biggest approved storage unit.
Yottabyte is equal to 10 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 bytes in decimal.
Conclusion
You may get frustrated when you want to put the Decimal or the Binary concept in application.
This means that when you want to buy a data storage device or any other type of device, you may get a different storage capacity than what you’ve expected.
That’s because the manufacturer calculates the size in Decimal and the software calculates it in Binary.
This could lead for example to having 15 MB instead of an actual 16 MB written on a USB that you’ve bought.
6.25% is the difference that you might see when you buy any sort of tech device, or you download an audio or an image from the internet.
However, this difference becomes greater as capacities continue to increase.
So focus on the Decimal calculation and rely on the SI-Prefix to denote larger capacities.
This means you need to consider that 1 Megabyte is 1 000 000 bytes.
Today you’ve learned how many bytes are in a megabyte.
Further Reading
0x0 0x0 Windows Error Code? Fix-It Now in 6 Steps Only
How To Transfer Any File From Pc To Pc Online
OneDrive vs Google Drive: Which is the best and Cheapest for you
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