Bytes to bits
Multiply bytes by 8 to get bits.
16 B = 128 bit
How to convert bytes to bits
The bit is a single binary digit; eight bits make one byte. The byte is eight bits — the basic unit of digital storage.
Worked example — 16 B: 16 × 8 = 128 bit.
Bytes to bits table
| Bytes | Bits |
|---|---|
| 1 B | 8 bit |
| 2 B | 16 bit |
| 4 B | 32 bit |
| 8 B | 64 bit |
| 16 B | 128 bit |
| 32 B | 256 bit |
| 64 B | 512 bit |
| 128 B | 1,024 bit |
| 1,024 B | 8,192 bit |
Reverse and related
About bytes and bits
Byte (B)
1 B = 8 bitDefinition. Eight bits — the basic unit of digital storage
History and origin
The byte was named in 1956 by Werner Buchholz at IBM, during the design of the Stretch computer, for the group of bits needed to encode one character — respelled from bite so it could not be confused with bit. Eight bits became the standard with the System/360 in the 1960s, giving 256 possible values.
Current use
The byte is the basic unit for file sizes and memory; storage and documents are measured in bytes and their multiples.
Source: IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes
Bit (bit)
1 bit = 0.125 BDefinition. A single binary digit; eight bits make one byte
History and origin
The bit, short for binary digit, was named by the statistician John Tukey and popularised by Claude Shannon in his 1948 work founding information theory. It represents a single 0 or 1.
Current use
Bits are used to measure information and, most visibly, network and connection speeds, which are quoted in bits per second.
Source: IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes
Where people use this
Bytes: file sizes, memory. Bits: network and connection speeds, encoding. 1 byte is exactly 8 bits.
Every value is carried to full double precision; the display is rounded.
Both units are defined in IEC 80000-13 (quantities and units — information science); NIST on binary prefixes.
Questions people ask
How many bits in a byte?
One byte is exactly 8 bits.
How many bits is 10 bytes?
10 bytes is 80 bits.
Why is a byte 8 bits?
Eight bits became the standard byte with the IBM System/360, giving 256 possible values.