Tebibyte (TiB)

What Is Tebibyte (TiB)?

A tebibyte, written as TiB, is a unit used to measure large amounts of digital data. It is based on binary counting, so it fits how computers really store information. One tebibyte is equal to 1,024 gibibytes, which is a little more than one terabyte in decimal terms.

Definition

A tebibyte TiB is a binary unit of digital information.

• 1 tebibyte TiB = 1,024 gibibytes GiB
• 1 tebibyte TiB = 1,048,576 mebibytes MiB
• 1 tebibyte TiB = 2⁴⁰ bytes
• 2⁴⁰ bytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes

In simple words, a tebibyte is a very large block of bytes, counted using powers of 2, not powers of 10. This matches the way computer memory and many file systems are built.

History / Origin

Before the 1990s, people used the word terabyte TB for two different sizes.

• Some people used terabyte as 1,000,000,000,000 bytes decimal.
• Others used terabyte as 1,099,511,627,776 bytes binary 2⁴⁰ bytes.

This caused confusion. To fix this, the International Electrotechnical Commission IEC created new binary prefixes in the late 1990s. They introduced kibibyte KiB, mebibyte MiB, gibibyte GiB, tebibyte TiB, and others.

The name tebibyte comes from the prefix tebi and the word byte. Tebi is built from the words tera and binary and it is linked to 2⁴⁰. From that time, tebibyte TiB became the clear word for the binary value of 2⁴⁰ bytes.

Symbol & Abbreviation

The standard symbol for tebibyte is:

• TiB uppercase T, lowercase i, uppercase B

Key points:

• The lowercase i reminds you it is a binary unit, not a decimal one.
• It is different from TB, which means terabyte and normally uses decimal powers of 10.
• TiB is approved by the IEC and is used in technical standards and documentation.

Current Use Around the World

Tebibyte TiB is mostly used in technical and professional areas where exact sizes really matter.

• Operating systems: Some systems, like some versions of Linux and other Unix like systems, report disk and memory sizes in TiB, GiB, and MiB.
• Servers and data centers: System engineers often use TiB to describe file systems, virtual disks, and backup sizes, so they know the exact binary size.
• Cloud and storage software: Some storage tools and cloud platforms show capacities and limits in TiB to avoid confusion.
• Technical documents and standards: Manuals, academic papers, and standards may prefer TiB to be clear and precise.

In everyday life, most product labels for hard drives and SSDs still use terabyte TB in decimal. However, what your computer shows in its settings may follow binary units like GiB and TiB, which is why the numbers can look different from the box.

Example Conversions

Here are some simple examples to understand tebibytes compared to other units.

To and from bytes

• 1 TiB = 2⁴⁰ bytes = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes
• 0.5 TiB = 549,755,813,888 bytes

Between tebibyte and gibibyte

• 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB
• 2 TiB = 2,048 GiB
• 0.25 TiB = 256 GiB

Between tebibyte and mebibyte

• 1 TiB = 1,048,576 MiB
• 0.1 TiB = 104,857.6 MiB

Tebibyte and terabyte comparison

• 1 TiB is about 1.0995 TB
• 1 TB is about 0.91 TiB

So if you buy a drive sold as 1 TB, your operating system that uses TiB might show about 0.91 TiB, not 1 TiB. The drive is not missing space, it is just using a different unit.

Related Units

Here are units that are closely related to the tebibyte.

• Bit the smallest piece of digital data, 0 or 1.
• Byte 8 bits, enough to store one simple character.
• Kibibyte KiB binary unit, 1 KiB = 1,024 bytes.
• Mebibyte MiB binary unit, 1 MiB = 1,024 KiB.
• Gibibyte GiB binary unit, 1 GiB = 1,024 MiB.
• Tebibyte TiB binary unit, 1 TiB = 1,024 GiB.
• Pebibyte PiB binary unit, 1 PiB = 1,024 TiB.
• Terabyte TB decimal unit, usually 1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes.
• Petabyte PB decimal unit, usually 1 PB = 1,000 TB.

The main difference is that binary units use 1,024 as the step between levels, while decimal units use 1,000.

FAQs

Is tebibyte the same as terabyte?

No, they are not the same. A tebibyte TiB is based on 2⁴⁰ bytes, which is 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. A terabyte TB is usually based on 10¹² bytes, which is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. This makes 1 TiB a bit larger than 1 TB.

Which is bigger, TiB or TB?

For the same number, a tebibyte TiB is bigger than a terabyte TB. For example, 1 TiB is about 1.0995 TB. However, real products may use different labels, so always check the exact number of bytes if you need to compare.

Why do we need TiB and other binary units?

Computers work in binary, with powers of 2, so their memory and many storage systems are naturally sized in chunks of 2¹⁰, 2²⁰, 2³⁰, and so on. Binary units like TiB give a clear name to these exact sizes and avoid confusion with decimal units that use powers of 10.

Where will I see tebibytes used?

You will mainly see tebibytes in technical fields. Examples include system settings on servers, documentation for file systems, cloud storage limits, and some operating system tools, especially on Linux and other Unix like systems.

Why does my 1 TB drive not show 1 TiB on my computer?

The drive is sold using terabytes TB, which are decimal units. Your computer might show size using binary units like GiB or TiB. Since 1 TB is only about 0.91 TiB, the number on screen looks smaller even though the drive is giving the correct decimal capacity advertised.

Should I use TiB or TB when talking about storage?

If you are talking in detail about technical systems or need exact binary sizes, it is best to use TiB and other binary units. If you are speaking in general terms, such as how big a consumer hard drive is, TB is more common. The most important thing is to be clear which system you are using.