KB to MB Storage Converter

By Suraj GiriUpdated 16 September 2026

In decimal storage units 1 MB is 1,000 kB, so divide kilobytes by 1,000 to get megabytes. In binary units 1 MiB is 1,024 KiB.

This page converts storage from kilobytes to megabytes and leads with the decimal answer, because kB and MB carry SI prefixes, which stand strictly for powers of ten. The binary answer beside it is the count Windows File Explorer shows under the same MB label.

Going the other way? Convert MB back to KB →

How do you convert KB to MB?

KB to MB conversion divides by 1,000, because one megabyte is 1,000 kilobytes in the decimal prefixes; in binary units one mebibyte is 1,024 kibibytes, so the divisor becomes 1,024.

1. Type the number of kilobytes into the box at the top of the page.
2. Divide it by 1,000, the number of kilobytes in one megabyte.
3. Read the decimal answer in MB, the reading the symbols kB and MB carry in the SI.
4. If the figure was counted in steps of 1,024, read the binary answer beside it instead: the same number divided by 1,024, in MiB.

Kilobytes and megabytes are two rungs of one ladder; to convert any storage unit into another, including the binary units, use the full storage converter.

KB to MB Conversion Table

Each row gives the decimal answer and, beside it, the binary answer for the same figure read as KiB. Every value in it is exact.

Worked Example: 1,000 kB to MB

The first question for this page, worked both ways. Each reading passes through bytes, which is where the two part company.

A kilobyte is 1,000 bytes and a kibibyte is 1,024, so the same figure lands on two different byte counts before it is divided again.

Check it in reverse

Run each answer back through its own step and the starting figure returns: 1 MB x 1,000 = 1,000 kB, and 0.9765625 MiB x 1,024 = 1,000 KiB. To verify any other value, read the megabytes back as kilobytes and compare the result with the figure you started from.

Worked Examples: KB to MB

Each example gives the value first, then the working. Click a value to load it in the converter.

Every example above runs the other way too - turn each MB answer back into kB.

Where These Factors Come From

The factors and rules above are read from the knowledge base rather than typed for the page. These are the lines it holds for this pair.

• kilobyte (decimal), factor to byte 1000
• megabyte (decimal), factor to byte 1000000
• kibibyte, factor to byte 1024
• mebibyte, factor to byte 1048576
• SI Brochure (BIPM 9th edition) section 3, prefix rule The SI prefixes refer strictly to powers of 10. They should not be used to indicate powers of 2 (for example, one kilobit represents 1000 bits and not 1024 bits).
• binary prefixes, adoption The prefixes kibi (Ki), mebi (Mi), gibi (Gi) and tebi (Ti) stand for 2^10, 2^20, 2^30 and 2^40. The IEC first adopted them in 1999, as Amendment 2 to IEC 60027-2, and they are now part of IEC 80000-13.
• How this page reports a result result in the target unit, decimal (SI) reading first and binary (IEC) reading beside it where the prefixes differ; printed in full where it fits in 10 significant figures, otherwise rounded to 10

Why Is It kB and Not KB?

The SI symbol for kilo is a lowercase k, so a kilobyte of 1000 bytes is written kB. A capital K is the JEDEC spelling for 1024 in memory sizes, and Windows File Explorer writes KB for 1024 bytes.

This page writes its answers the SI way and keeps the capital K only where it repeats how people search. KiB, with a capital K and a small i, is the symbol that can only mean a power of two.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Conversions

• MB to GB divides by 1,000 - convert megabytes to gigabytes.
• KB to GB divides by 1,000,000 - convert kilobytes to gigabytes.
• GB to MB multiplies by 1,000 - convert gigabytes to megabytes.
• GB to KB multiplies by 1,000,000 - convert gigabytes to kilobytes.
• Bits to bytes divides by 8 - convert bits to bytes.
• Bytes to bits multiplies by 8 - convert bytes to bits.

The other storage units, including bits and the binary units, are on the storage converter with every unit.