Gigabytes to Megabytes
A gigabyte holds one thousand megabytes, so multiply gigabytes by 1,000 to get megabytes: 2 GB is 2,000 MB and 0.25 GB is 250 MB. In binary units one GiB is 1,024 MiB, and the converter below shows both readings.
1 gigabyte = 1,000 megabytes
1 GB = 1,000 MB · multiply by 1,000
What fits in a gigabyte
Thinking in megabytes makes storage concrete. A 12-megapixel JPEG from a phone usually lands between 2 and 5 MB, so one gigabyte holds roughly 200 to 500 photos. A three-minute MP3 at 320 kbps is about 7 MB, so 1 GB is around 140 songs. A one-minute 1080p phone video is often 100 MB or more, meaning 1 GB covers only about ten minutes of footage.
Pixel count drives image file size, so if you need to estimate how large a scan or print file will be, work out the dimensions first with the pixel converter and then multiply by the bytes per pixel your format needs.
How to convert gigabytes to megabytes
MB = GB × 1,000
1 GB = 1,000 MB
25 GB × 1,000 = 25,000 MB
- Start with the value in gigabytes.
- Multiply it by 1,000.
- Round the result to the precision the job needs: whole numbers for everyday use, more decimals for engineering or recipes.
Gigabyte storage, megabyte limits
Storage is sold in gigabytes, but upload and attachment limits are almost always quoted in megabytes. Gmail accepts attachments up to 25 MB per message, and many job portals and government forms cap PDFs at 1, 2 or 5 MB. A 0.1 GB file is 100 MB, four times over the Gmail limit, even though 0.1 sounds tiny.
When a document is too big, the answer is usually compression rather than splitting. A scanned PDF can often be brought down with compress PDF to 1 MB, which keeps text readable while cutting image resolution.
Gigabytes in megabytes, and back
Rounded to six significant digits. Change any value in the converter above for an exact figure.
| Gigabytes (GB) | Megabytes (MB) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000 |
| 2 | 2,000 |
| 3 | 3,000 |
| 4 | 4,000 |
| 5 | 5,000 |
| 6 | 6,000 |
| 7 | 7,000 |
| 8 | 8,000 |
| 9 | 9,000 |
| 10 | 10,000 |
| 12 | 12,000 |
| 15 | 15,000 |
| 20 | 20,000 |
| 25 | 25,000 |
| 30 | 30,000 |
| 40 | 40,000 |
| 50 | 50,000 |
| 60 | 60,000 |
| 70 | 70,000 |
| 75 | 75,000 |
| 80 | 80,000 |
| 90 | 90,000 |
| 100 | 100,000 |
| Megabytes (MB) | Gigabytes (GB) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.001 |
| 2 | 0.002 |
| 3 | 0.003 |
| 4 | 0.004 |
| 5 | 0.005 |
| 6 | 0.006 |
| 7 | 0.007 |
| 8 | 0.008 |
| 9 | 0.009 |
| 10 | 0.01 |
| 12 | 0.012 |
| 15 | 0.015 |
| 20 | 0.02 |
| 25 | 0.025 |
| 30 | 0.03 |
| 40 | 0.04 |
| 50 | 0.05 |
| 60 | 0.06 |
| 70 | 0.07 |
| 75 | 0.075 |
| 80 | 0.08 |
| 90 | 0.09 |
| 100 | 0.1 |
Why a 128 GB phone shows less free space
A 128 GB phone holds 128,000 MB by the maker's count. If the operating system counts in 1,024-byte steps it shows about 119.2 GiB, and the system files take another chunk before you install anything. Multiply by 1,024 when you need binary megabytes: 4 GiB of RAM is 4,096 MiB. For the reverse direction and data-plan examples, see MB to GB.
Frequently asked questions
- How many megabytes are in 1 GB?
- 1,000 MB in decimal units. In binary units, 1 GiB is 1,024 MiB.
- How many photos fit in 1 GB?
- About 200 to 500 typical phone JPEGs at 2 to 5 MB each. RAW or HEIC files change the count considerably.
- What is 0.5 GB in MB?
- 500 MB, or 512 MiB if you are working in binary units such as RAM sizes.
- Why is RAM always a power of two, like 8,192 MB?
- Memory chips are addressed in binary, so their capacity comes in powers of two. 8 GiB of RAM is 8,192 MiB, and makers quote it that way.