Bit

A bit (binary digit) holds one of two values, 0 or 1. It is the smallest unit of digital information; eight bits make one byte.

Symbol: bit

Quantity: amount of digital information

SI relation: The bit is the basic unit of information. It is not an SI unit, but SI prefixes (kilo, mega, giga) apply to it in steps of 1000, and the IEC binary prefixes (kibi, mebi, gibi) in steps of 1024.

Derivation: The basic unit of information: one binary digit, 0 or 1.

Exact: yes, by definition

Typical uses

Network speeds (bits per second)
Processor word sizes (32-bit, 64-bit)
Encryption key lengths (128-bit, 256-bit)

Convert bits to other units

1 bit in other data storage units
Conversion	1 bit equals	Reverse
bit to byte	0.125 B	byte to bit
bit to kilobyte	0.000125 kB	kilobyte to bit
bit to megabyte	1.25 × 10⁻⁷ MB	megabyte to bit
bit to gigabyte	1.25 × 10⁻¹⁰ GB	gigabyte to bit
bit to terabyte	1.25 × 10⁻¹³ TB	terabyte to bit
bit to megabit	0.000001 Mbit	megabit to bit
bit to kibibyte	0.0001220703125 KiB	kibibyte to bit
bit to mebibyte	1.192092896 × 10⁻⁷ MiB	mebibyte to bit
bit to gibibyte	1.164153218 × 10⁻¹⁰ GiB	gibibyte to bit
bit to kilobit	0.001 kbit	kilobit to bit
bit to gigabit	1 × 10⁻⁹ Gbit	gigabit to bit
bit to petabyte	1.25 × 10⁻¹⁶ PB	petabyte to bit
bit to tebibyte	1.136868377 × 10⁻¹³ TiB	tebibyte to bit

Open the Data Storage Converter to convert any value between all units.

Sources

The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition (SI Brochure), Bureau International des Poids et Mesures , Table 7 (SI prefixes); hertz, Table 4.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-15. Factors are stored exactly and computed with 50-digit decimal arithmetic. See how we verify conversion factors.

Cite this page

APA

Scientific Converters. (2026, October 15). Bit. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://scientificconverters.com/units/bit/

IEEE

Scientific Converters, "Bit," scientificconverters.com. Accessed: Oct. 25, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://scientificconverters.com/units/bit/