# What is a terabyte? In 1955, IBM presented the first computer that used data on permanent storage. The storage capacity at the time was 4 megabytes (MB). Today, this [memory capacity](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/units-of-storage-in-computers/ "Units of storage in computers") wouldn’t even be enough for a smartphone. Apps, documents, pictures, and other data require significantly higher data capacities. As technologies developed, the data units evolved to represent **larger data quantities in legible numbers**. Today, the average person encounters gigabytes and terabytes on a regular basis. Find out more about these units of information and how they’re converted. ## What is a terabyte? Whether smartphone, laptop, or USB stick – we use a variety of options to store our data. The digitization of content has increased the demand for ever more storage capacity. The amount of data a medium can store is specified in the **unit of bytes**. This is the smallest possible amount of data. In order to avoid incomprehensibly long numbers, large amounts of data are designated with **decimal prefixes**. One terabyte therefore corresponds to 10,000,000,000,000 bytes. However, since computers work with a **binary system** based on the base 2 (2x) instead of 10 (10x), the conversion factor between individual units is not 1,000, but 1,024 (210). A terabyte therefore comprises 1,099,511,627,776 bytes. --- ### Fact When purchasing data carriers, users often aren’t sure what storage space they need. Part of the reason for this is the **cryptic designation of data units**. How much can one terabyte store? A comparison helps: one terabyte corresponds to a capacity of over 200,000 MP3 songs in medium quality. --- ## Terabytes and terabits – what’s the difference? There’s a big difference between terabytes and terabits, despite the near-identical name. To differentiate the two, it’s helpful to learn how bits and bytes are defined. A bit is the **smallest digital storage unit** that can have the status 0 or 1. **A byte consists of eight bits** and has 256 possible states. With this number of bits, a binary state can be represented as a character that’s readable by humans. In contrast to storage capacities, the **speed of data transfer** is typically specified in bits. The most common unit for this is megabits per second (Mbit/s). But technologies continue to evolve. In experiments, researchers have now enabled a transmission of 44.2 terabits per second. This means that 1,000 films in HD quality can be downloaded in just a few seconds. ## What multiples of terabyte are there? Terabytes are currently the largest unit of information for day-to-day use. Mainframes and server centers, on the other hand, require capacities that sometimes go well beyond the range of terabytes. The **factor 1,024** is decisive for **converting** one unit to the next larger one. The following table provides an overview of the units of information and their relationship to one terabyte:
Data quantity In Terabyte In Byte
1 [Bit](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-bit/) 1/8,796,093,022,208 1/8
1 [Nibble](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-nibble/) 1/2,199,023,255,552 1/2
1 [Byte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-byte/) (B) 1/1,099,511,627,776 1
1 [Kilobyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-kilobyte/) (KB) 1/1,073,741,824 1,024
1 [Megabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-megabyte/) (MB) 1/1,048,576 1,0242
1 [Gigabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-gigabyte/) (GB) 1/1,024 1,0243
1 Terabyte (TB) 1 1,0244
1 [Petabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-petabyte/) (PB) 1,024 1,0245
1 [Exabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-an-exabyte/) (GB) 1,048,576 1,0246
1 [Zettabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-zettabyte/) (ZB) 1,073,741,824 1,0247
1 [Yottabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-yottabyte/) (YB) 1,099,511,627,776 1,0248
1 [Brontobyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-brontobyte/) (BB) 1,125,899,906,842,624 1,0249
[![Image: Different storage units compared to terabyte](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/_processed_/0/f/csm_different-storage-units-compared-to-terabyte_e1f5b6e3c3.webp "Different storage units compared to terabyte")](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/fileadmin/DigitalGuide/Schaubilder/different-storage-units-compared-to-terabyte.png) Terabyte compared to other units of information – decimal and binary. ## How and where are terabytes being used? Technologies continue to evolve and so do their **storage capacities**. But despite increasing capacities, the hardware itself is shrinking. Today, 1 or 2 terabyte hard drives are both compact and affordable. Micro SD cards or USB sticks already offer up to 1 TB of space. In many cases, however, the specification in gigabytes is still common for these storage media. It’s likely only a matter of time before terabytes will become ubiquitous for these storage devices. --- ### Tip When choosing a suitable data carrier, capacity is one of the most important criteria. However, hard drives, USB sticks, etc., have one disadvantage: the hardware is a prerequisite for accessing the data. With [**HiDrive Cloud storage IONOS**](https://www.ionos.com/office-solutions/hidrive-cloud-storage "IONOS HiDrive Cloud storage") your data is always accessible from anywhere. ISO certification and GDPR-compliance ensure that only you and authorized users have access. --- This is a markdown version of: [https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-terabyte/](https://www.ionos.com/digitalguide/websites/web-development/what-is-a-terabyte/) for AI/LLM consumption.