Convert Terabytes to Megabytes
Terabytes to megabytes spans two size steps downward, so the number gets large fast. Using the decimal convention that drives are sold in, one terabyte is 1,000,000 megabytes.
Terabytes to Megabytes conversion table
| Terabytes (TB) | Megabytes (MB) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1,000,000 |
| 2 | 2,000,000 |
| 3 | 3,000,000 |
| 5 | 5,000,000 |
| 10 | 10,000,000 |
| 20 | 20,000,000 |
| 50 | 50,000,000 |
| 100 | 100,000,000 |
| 500 | 500,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 1,000,000,000 |
The formula
To convert terabytes to megabytes, multiply the size in terabytes by 1,000,000:
megabytes = terabytes × 1,000,000
A worked example
Say you've bought a 4 TB drive and want its capacity in megabytes:
4 × 1,000,000 = 4,000,000 MB
The decimal point shifts six places to the right.
Decimal vs binary — which terabyte you're counting
This conversion uses the decimal (SI) rule: 1 TB = 1,000,000 MB, exactly how drive makers print capacity on the box. Operating systems often count in binary, where a "terabyte" is a tebibyte and comes out bigger. That's why the 4 TB drive above is 4,000,000 MB in decimal terms, yet your computer — counting in powers of two — will report it as roughly 3.64 TiB. The drive isn't short; the two systems just measure differently.
When you'll use it
Working out how many MB-sized files fit on a new drive, planning capacity for a media server, or converting a terabyte figure into megabytes for a tool or spreadsheet that expects the smaller unit.
Frequently asked questions
How many megabytes are in a terabyte?
1,000,000 in the decimal convention. To go from TB to MB you multiply by a million.
How many photos or songs is that, roughly?
It depends on quality, but as a feel: at about 4 MB a photo, a decimal terabyte (1,000,000 MB) holds on the order of 250,000 of them. The conversion gives you the MB total to divide by whatever your average file size is.
Does binary counting change this?
For precise planning, yes. A binary 'terabyte' (a tebibyte) is larger than the decimal one used here, which is the same reason a 1 TB drive shows as roughly 931 GiB in your operating system.