Convert Mbps to MB/s (real Internet speed)
1 Mbps = 0.125 MB/s
An Internet plan is sold in megabits per second (Mbps or Mb/s), but your browser or download manager shows a speed in megabytes per second (MB/s): this page converts directly between the two, with the exact factor (÷8) shown below the result.
1 Megabit per second (Mbit/s) = 0.125 Megabyte per second (MB/s)
Raw value: 0.125
Scientific dossier
What the tool computes, what it assumes, where it stops being valid, and where its data comes from.
Method & formulas1 Mbps = 0.125 MB/s
1 Mbps = 0.125 MB/s
1 MB/s = 8 Mbps
The conversion is a simple ÷8 factor (or ×8 the other way), since a byte is defined exactly as 8 bits. Not a rounding, an exact factor computed by the same conversion engine as the rest of the site.
- Mbps (or Mbit/s)
- · megabits per second, the speed unit used by commercial offers.
- MB/s (or Mo/s)
- · megabytes per second, the speed unit shown by transfer software.
Validity domainThe ÷8 factor gives a theoretical ceiling, not the speed actually observed: real throughput also depends on protocol overhead (TCP/IP), the remote server, the line being shared between several devices, and Wi-Fi connection quality.
The ÷8 factor gives a theoretical ceiling, not the speed actually observed: real throughput also depends on protocol overhead (TCP/IP), the remote server, the line being shared between several devices, and Wi-Fi connection quality. An advertised speed of 100 Mbps rarely translates into exactly 12.5 MB/s sustained in practice.
Why this conversion surprises so many peopleInternet service providers advertise speed in bits (Mbps), inherited from telecommunications, while file sizes and the speed shown by a browser or download manager are expressed in bytes (MB/s).
Internet service providers advertise speed in bits (Mbps), inherited from telecommunications, while file sizes and the speed shown by a browser or download manager are expressed in bytes (MB/s). Since a byte is 8 bits, the real download speed in MB/s is always 8 times smaller than the advertised speed in Mbps. A division that commercial data sheets almost never mention.
Concrete examplesA 1 Gbps fiber plan (1000 Mbps) caps at 125 MB/s of theoretical download speed.
A 1 Gbps fiber plan (1000 Mbps) caps at 125 MB/s of theoretical download speed. A 4K streaming video, which needs about 25 Mbps of constant throughput, therefore only uses 3.1 MB/s of real bandwidth. A gap that explains why a modest connection is plenty for video streaming while feeling slow for large downloads.