What Is Gibibyte (GiB)?
A gibibyte, written as GiB, is a unit that measures how much data a device can store. It is used in computing and is based on powers of 2, not 10. One gibibyte is exactly 1 073 741 824 bytes.
Definition
A gibibyte is a binary unit of digital information.
- 1 GiB equals 230 bytes
- 230 bytes equals 1 073 741 824 bytes
- 1 GiB equals 1024 mebibytes MiB
- 1 GiB is about 1.074 gigabytes GB
People use gibibytes to measure things like computer memory RAM, some types of storage, and file sizes in systems that follow strict binary counting.
History / Origin
For many years, the word gigabyte GB was used in two different ways.
- In computers, many people treated 1 GB as 1024 megabytes MiB, which is binary.
- In marketing, storage companies treated 1 GB as 1000 megabytes MB, which is decimal.
This caused confusion because 1 GB could mean two slightly different sizes. To fix this problem, the International Electrotechnical Commission IEC created new binary prefixes in 1998.
- kibi Ki means 210
- mebi Mi means 220
- gibi Gi means 230
- tebi Ti means 240
From that time, 1 gibibyte GiB became the clear name for 230 bytes, while 1 gigabyte GB stayed as 109 bytes. This helps everyone know which system is used.
Symbol & Abbreviation
The gibibyte uses special letters to show that it is binary.
- Name gibibyte
- Symbol GiB
- Prefix gibi Gi which means 230
- Base unit byte B
Do not confuse these two symbols.
- GiB means gibibyte, binary, 1 073 741 824 bytes
- GB means gigabyte, decimal, 1 000 000 000 bytes
Current Use Around the World
Gibibytes are used in many technical areas where exact binary values matter.
- Operating systems Many Linux and other Unix like systems show memory and file sizes in MiB and GiB.
- Programming and development System level programmers and database administrators often use GiB for memory limits and cache sizes.
- Technical documents Standards, hardware manuals, and scientific papers use GiB to avoid confusion with GB.
- Cloud and servers Some cloud providers list RAM and storage quotas in GiB for accuracy.
Outside of technical work, many people still say gigabyte or GB for everything. However, more software and documents now follow the binary names like GiB, especially in professional and international standards.
Example Conversions
These examples show how gibibytes relate to other units.
GiB to Bytes
- 1 GiB equals 1 073 741 824 bytes
- 2 GiB equals 2 147 483 648 bytes
- 0.5 GiB equals 536 870 912 bytes
GiB to MiB and KiB
- 1 GiB equals 1024 MiB
- 1 GiB equals 1 048 576 KiB 1024 times 1024
- 0.25 GiB equals 256 MiB
GiB to GB decimal gigabytes
Remember, GB is decimal, based on 1000. GiB is binary, based on 1024. This means they are close but not equal.
- 1 GiB is about 1.074 GB
- 10 GiB is about 10.74 GB
- 100 GiB is about 107.4 GB
To change GiB to GB, you can use this rule.
GB equals GiB multiplied by 1.073741824
GB to GiB
To change decimal gigabytes to gibibytes, use this rule.
GiB equals GB divided by 1.073741824
- 500 GB is about 466 GiB
- 256 GB is about 239 GiB
Related Units
Gibibyte fits into a full family of digital units.
Smaller binary units
- bit smallest unit, 0 or 1
- byte B usually 8 bits
- kibibyte KiB 1 KiB equals 1024 bytes
- mebibyte MiB 1 MiB equals 1024 KiB
Larger binary units
- tebibyte TiB 1 TiB equals 1024 GiB
- pebibyte PiB 1 PiB equals 1024 TiB
- exbibyte EiB 1 EiB equals 1024 PiB
Matching decimal units
- kilobyte kB 1 kB equals 1000 bytes
- megabyte MB 1 MB equals 1000 kB
- gigabyte GB 1 GB equals 1000 MB
- terabyte TB 1 TB equals 1000 GB
Binary units like GiB are best when working inside computers. Decimal units like GB are common in storage device labels and everyday marketing.
FAQs
Is a GiB the same as a GB
No, they are not the same. 1 GiB is 1 073 741 824 bytes while 1 GB is 1 000 000 000 bytes. A GiB is about 7.4 percent larger than a GB.
Why does my 500 GB drive show about 465 GiB
The drive maker uses decimal units, so 500 GB means 500 000 000 000 bytes. Your operating system may show the same bytes in GiB, which uses 1 GiB equals 1 073 741 824 bytes. When you convert, 500 GB is about 465 GiB, so the number looks smaller even though the amount of data is the same.
Which unit should I use, GiB or GB
Use GiB when you care about exact binary memory sizes, like RAM or low level software settings. Use GB when following what is printed on storage boxes or when you are talking in a simple way with non technical people.
Why do operating systems sometimes mix GiB and GB
Some systems use binary counting but keep the older labels like MB or GB out of habit. Newer versions of many systems now show the correct binary units like MiB and GiB to be more clear.
How can I quickly estimate GiB to GB in my head
A quick trick is to add about 7 percent. For example, 10 GiB is a bit more than 10 plus 0.7 equals about 10.7 GB. For rough thinking, this is close enough.
Is GiB used for both RAM and storage
Yes. RAM sizes are often thought of in GiB even when they are written as GB. Some technical tools show storage in GiB too, especially on servers and in cloud platforms where exact binary sizes matter.