Bits Per Second To Mbps
Raw speeds come in bits per second. Divide by 1,000,000 to see them in Mbps.
Quick answer: multiply the speed in bit/s by 0.000001. For example, 1,000,000 bit/s is 1 Mbps, 5,000,000 bit/s is 5 Mbps and 250,000 bit/s is 0.25 Mbps.
The bit/s to Mbps formula
One Mbit/s is 1,000,000 bit/s (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
So divide the bit/s by 1,000,000 to get Mbps.
Take 1,000,000 bit/s. Multiply by 0.000001. The answer is 1 Mbps.
Take 5,000,000 bit/s. Multiply by 0.000001. The answer is 5 Mbps.
Bits per second to Mbps
A bit per second is the base unit of data rate (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
Mbps means megabits per second, or 10⁶ bit/s (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
The factor 0.000001 joins the two.
How to convert bit/s to Mbps step by step
- Write down the speed in bit/s.
- Multiply it by 0.000001.
- The answer is in Mbps.
- Check it against the chart above.
Example 1: 1,000,000 bit/s
- Start with 1,000,000 bit/s.
- 1,000,000 × 0.000001 = 1.
- The speed is 1 Mbps.
1,000,000 bit/s = 1 Mbps
Example 2: 5,000,000 bit/s
- Start with 5,000,000 bit/s.
- 5,000,000 × 0.000001 = 5.
- The speed is 5 Mbps.
5,000,000 bit/s = 5 Mbps
Example 3: 250,000 bit/s
- Start with 250,000 bit/s.
- 250,000 × 0.000001 = 0.25.
- The speed is 0.25 Mbps.
250,000 bit/s = 0.25 Mbps
Kilobit, megabit and gigabit per second are 1,000, 10⁶ and 10⁹ bit/s (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
bit/s to Mbps conversion table
| bit/s | Mbps | kbit/s |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 bit/s | 0.001 Mbps | 1 kbit/s |
| 56,000 bit/s | 0.056 Mbps | 56 kbit/s |
| 250,000 bit/s | 0.25 Mbps | 250 kbit/s |
| 1,000,000 bit/s | 1 Mbps | 1,000 kbit/s |
| 5,000,000 bit/s | 5 Mbps | 5,000 kbit/s |
| 25,000,000 bit/s | 25 Mbps | 25,000 kbit/s |
| 100,000,000 bit/s | 100 Mbps | 100,000 kbit/s |
| 1,000,000,000 bit/s | 1,000 Mbps | 1,000,000 kbit/s |
The highlighted row, 1,000,000 bit/s, is the default of the converter. The last column gives kbit/s.
A quick mental shortcut for bit/s to Mbps
Move the decimal six places left. So 5,000,000 bit/s is 5 Mbps.
No other maths is needed.
What bit/s measures
A bit per second is the base unit of data rate (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
The short form bps usually means bit/s.
What Mbps measures
Mbps means megabits per second, or 10⁶ bit/s (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
Internet plans are sold in Mbps.
The prefix ladder
A kbit/s is 1,000 bit/s. A Mbit/s is 10⁶ bit/s. A Gbit/s is 10⁹ bit/s (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
Each step is 1,000 times the one below.
Decimal prefixes
Data rates use decimal prefixes (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
So there is no 1,024 in this sum.
Old modems
A dial-up modem ran at about 56,000 bit/s, which is 0.056 Mbps.
A modern link of 100 Mbps is about 1,800 times faster.
bps and Bps
A lowercase b is a bit and a capital B is a byte (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
So bps is bits and Bps is bytes per second.
Why divide by a million
A Mbit/s is 10⁶ bit/s (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
So a million bit/s make one Mbps.
Going the other way
To go back, multiply the Mbps by 1,000,000. Or move the decimal six places right.
So 5 Mbps is 5,000,000 bit/s.
Check your answer
Your Mbps number should be a million times smaller than the bit/s number.
Multiply it by 1,000,000 and you should get your first number.
More values at a glance
0.5 bits per second is 5 × 10⁻⁷ megabits per second. 2 bits per second is 2 × 10⁻⁶ megabits per second. 5 bits per second is 5 × 10⁻⁶ megabits per second.
10 bits per second is 1 × 10⁻⁵ megabits per second. 25 bits per second is 2.5 × 10⁻⁵ megabits per second. 100 bits per second is 1 × 10⁻⁴ megabits per second.
Each answer is the input times 1 × 10⁻⁶. You can use the same factor for any value that is not listed here.
The unit sizes
One of the bits per second equals 1 × 10⁻⁶ megabits per second. One of the megabits per second equals 1,000,000 bits per second.
If a result looks very large or very small, compare it with these sizes before you use it.
Checking in reverse
Take 1 × 10⁻⁵ megabits per second and divide by 1 × 10⁻⁶. You get back 10 bits per second. If you do not, one of the numbers was typed or rounded wrongly.
Quick conversion answers
| Conversion | Result |
|---|---|
| 56,000 bit/s | 0.056 Mbps |
| 250,000 bit/s | 0.25 Mbps |
| 1,000,000 bit/s | 1 Mbps |
| 5,000,000 bit/s | 5 Mbps |
| 100,000,000 bit/s | 100 Mbps |
| 1,000,000,000 bit/s | 1,000 Mbps |
Sample speeds
A speed of 54,000,000 bit/s is 54 Mbps, and 750,000 bit/s is 0.75 Mbps.
A speed of 1,000,000,000 bit/s is 1,000 Mbps, which is 1 Gbps.
Move the decimal point six places to the left each time.
SI prefixes in speeds
In speeds, mega means exactly 1,000,000, and not 1,048,576 (Wikipedia: Data-rate units).
So 2,500,000 bit/s is exactly 2.5 Mbps.
To see the speed in bytes, divide the bits by 8 as a second step.
Wireless style numbers
A link of 433,000,000 bit/s is 433 Mbps, and 150,000,000 bit/s is 150 Mbps.
A link of 20,000,000 bit/s is 20 Mbps.
To see the file speed in MB/s, divide Mbps by 8, so 400 Mbps is 50 MB/s.
Mbps with a capital M
Write Mbps with a capital M and a small b, since the small b means bits.
A capital B would mean bytes, which is 8 times bigger.
This keeps speeds from being misread by a factor of 8.
Where this conversion is used
Link speeds are quoted in bits per second.
Internet plans are sold in megabits per second.
People check plan speeds.
Gamers and streamers size their links.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Mixing Mbps and MB/s. Lowercase b is a bit and capital B is a byte.
- Using the wrong direction. Here 56,000 bit/s is 0.056 Mbps, so a correct answer comes out smaller than the number you start with.
- Mixing decimal and binary units. Rates use decimal prefixes.
- Mixing Mbps and MB/s. A link of 100 Mbps moves only 12.5 MB/s.
Related converters
A voice call
A call of 64,000 bit/s is 0.064 Mbps.
In MB/s that is 0.008.
A video stream
A stream of 4,000,000 bit/s is 4 Mbps.
In MB/s that is 0.5.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert bit/s to Mbps?
Divide the bit/s by 1,000,000.
How many Mbps is 5,000,000 bit/s?
5 Mbps.
How many bit/s is 1 Mbps?
1,000,000 bit/s.
How many Mbps is 56,000 bit/s?
0.056 Mbps.
Is bps the same as bit/s?
Yes. In common use bps means bit per second.
How many MB/s is 1 Mbps?
0.125 MB/s.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Data-rate units (en.wikipedia.org)
- Wikipedia: Byte (en.wikipedia.org)
