Download Time Calculator
Calculate file transfer time from size and connection speed.
About this tool
Estimate how long a file transfer will take given its size and your connection speed \u2014 correctly handling the common mix-up between megabits (Mbps, how ISPs advertise speed) and megabytes (MB, how file sizes are shown).
Key Features
- Handles the bits-vs-bytes distinction correctly
- Works with MB, GB or TB file sizes
- Works with Mbps, Gbps or MB/s connection speeds
How to Use
- Enter the file size and its unit.
- Enter your connection speed and its unit.
- Click Calculate Time.
Benefits
- Estimate realistic download/upload times before starting a large transfer
- Understand why a '100 Mbps' connection doesn't download at 100 MB per second
- Plan around large file transfers
Frequently Asked Questions
ISPs advertise speed in megabits per second (Mbps), but file sizes are shown in megabytes (MB) \u2014 there are 8 bits in a byte, so a '100 Mbps' connection downloads at roughly 12.5 MB/s at best, not 100 MB/s. This calculator does that conversion for you.
No \u2014 this is the theoretical time at a constant, fully-utilized connection speed. Real transfers are usually somewhat slower due to network overhead, server limits, and other traffic sharing your connection.