Download Time Calculator

Enter a file size and a connection speed to see how long the transfer takes, what that speed is in megabytes per second, and the time at ten common speeds.

Runs in your browserFree, no sign-upLast reviewed October 13, 2026

50 GB at 100 Mbps

Transfer time: 1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds
In seconds: 4,000 s
In minutes: 66.67 min
In hours: 1.11 h

Speed and size in other units

Speed in megabytes per second: 12.5 MB/s; Mbps ÷ 8
Speed in megabits per second: 100 Mbps
File size in megabits: 400,000 Mb; bytes × 8
File size in bytes: 50,000,000,000
Data moved in one hour: 45 GB; decimal GB at this speed

Summary

50 GB at 100 Mbps (12.5 MB/s) takes 1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds.

Time to transfer 50 GB at common speeds

Connection speed	Megabytes per second	Transfer time
1 Mbps	0.125 MB/s	4 days 15 hours 6 minutes
5 Mbps	0.625 MB/s	22 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds
10 Mbps	1.25 MB/s	11 hours 6 minutes 40 seconds
25 Mbps	3.125 MB/s	4 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds
50 Mbps	6.25 MB/s	2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds
100 Mbps	12.5 MB/s	1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds
300 Mbps	37.5 MB/s	22 minutes 13 seconds
500 Mbps	62.5 MB/s	13 minutes 20 seconds
1 Gbps	125 MB/s	6 minutes 40 seconds
2.5 Gbps	312.5 MB/s	2 minutes 40 seconds

Bits and bytes. Connection speeds are sold in bits per second and file sizes are measured in bytes, with 8 bits in a byte, so 100 Mbps moves 12.5 MB each second. The size is treated as decimal: 1 KB = 1,000 bytes, 1 MB = 1,000 KB and so on. The time assumes the full speed for the whole transfer, with no protocol overhead, so a real transfer takes a little longer.

Quick answers

How long does it take to download 100 GB?: At 100 Mbps, 100 GB takes 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds. At 50 Mbps it takes 4 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds, at 300 Mbps 44 minutes 27 seconds, and at 1 Gbps 13 minutes 20 seconds. These assume the full speed for the whole download.
How do I calculate download time?: Multiply the file size in megabytes by 8 to get megabits, then divide by the speed in Mbps. The answer is in seconds. A 700 MB file at 8 Mbps is 5,600 megabits ÷ 8 = 700 seconds, which is 11 minutes 40 seconds.
What is the difference between Mbps and MB/s?: Mbps is megabits per second, the unit internet plans are sold in. MB/s is megabytes per second, the unit download windows usually show. A byte is 8 bits, so divide Mbps by 8: 100 Mbps is 12.5 MB/s and 1 Gbps is 125 MB/s.
How long does a 50 GB game take to download?: About 1 hour 7 minutes at 100 Mbps (1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds exactly). At 25 Mbps it takes 4 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds, at 500 Mbps 13 minutes 20 seconds, and at 1 Gbps 6 minutes 40 seconds.
How much can I download in an hour at 100 Mbps?: 45 GB. 100 Mbps is 12.5 MB per second, and there are 3,600 seconds in an hour, giving 45,000 MB. At 1 Gbps it is 450 GB an hour, and at 10 Mbps it is 4.5 GB.
How long does it take to transfer 1 TB?: At 1 Gbps, 1 TB takes 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds. At 100 Mbps it takes 22 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds, and at 10 Mbps it takes 9 days 6 hours 13 minutes.

About Download Time Calculator

A 50 GB file on a 100 Mbps connection takes 1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds. The sum is file size in bits divided by speed in bits per second, and the step people miss is that sizes are in bytes while speeds are in bits: there are 8 bits in a byte, so 100 Mbps moves 12.5 MB each second, not 100. Enter a size in KB, MB, GB or TB and a speed in Kbps, Mbps or Gbps. You get the time, the same time in seconds, minutes and hours, the speed in MB/s, and a table showing the same file at speeds from 1 Mbps to 2.5 Gbps. Sizes are decimal (1 GB = 1,000 MB) unless you tick the binary box.

Download time by file size and connection speed

Times for common file sizes at six speeds, taken from the calculator with decimal units. The examples in brackets are rough sizes; check the actual size of your file.

File size	10 Mbps	25 Mbps	50 Mbps	100 Mbps	300 Mbps	1 Gbps
5 MB (a song)	4 seconds	1.6 seconds	0.8 seconds	0.4 seconds	0.13 seconds	0.04 seconds
500 MB	6 minutes 40 seconds	2 minutes 40 seconds	1 minute 20 seconds	40 seconds	13 seconds	4 seconds
4 GB (an HD film)	53 minutes 20 seconds	21 minutes 20 seconds	10 minutes 40 seconds	5 minutes 20 seconds	1 minute 47 seconds	32 seconds
20 GB (a 4K film)	4 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds	1 hour 46 minutes 40 seconds	53 minutes 20 seconds	26 minutes 40 seconds	8 minutes 53 seconds	2 minutes 40 seconds
50 GB (a game)	11 hours 6 minutes 40 seconds	4 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds	2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds	1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds	22 minutes 13 seconds	6 minutes 40 seconds
100 GB (a large game)	22 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds	8 hours 53 minutes 20 seconds	4 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds	2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds	44 minutes 27 seconds	13 minutes 20 seconds
150 GB	1 day 9 hours 20 minutes	13 hours 20 minutes	6 hours 40 minutes	3 hours 20 minutes	1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds	20 minutes
1 TB (a backup)	9 days 6 hours 13 minutes	3 days 16 hours 53 minutes	1 day 20 hours 26 minutes	22 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds	7 hours 24 minutes 27 seconds	2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds

Times under ten seconds keep two decimals. Once a transfer runs past a day the calculator drops the seconds.

Mbps to MB/s: what each connection speed really moves

Divide megabits per second by 8 to get megabytes per second. The last column is how much data that adds up to in an hour.

Connection speed	Megabytes per second	Data in one hour
10 Mbps	1.25 MB/s	4.5 GB
25 Mbps	3.125 MB/s	11.25 GB
50 Mbps	6.25 MB/s	22.5 GB
100 Mbps	12.5 MB/s	45 GB
300 Mbps	37.5 MB/s	135 GB
1 Gbps	125 MB/s	450 GB

The calculator's own speed table also lists 1 Mbps (0.125 MB/s), 5 Mbps (0.625 MB/s), 500 Mbps (62.5 MB/s) and 2.5 Gbps (312.5 MB/s).

The download time formula

time in seconds = (file size in bytes × 8) ÷ speed in bits per second

Take 50 GB at 100 Mbps. In decimal units 50 GB is 50,000,000,000 bytes. Multiply by 8 bits per byte: 400,000,000,000 bits, or 400,000 megabits. Divide by 100,000,000 bits per second: 4,000 seconds, which is 1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds. A shortcut that gives the same answer: size in MB × 8 ÷ speed in Mbps. Speed prefixes are always decimal, so 1 Mbps is 1,000,000 bits per second and 1 Gbps is 1,000 Mbps.

1000 or 1024: why Windows shows a different file size

Drive makers, macOS and internet providers use decimal prefixes, where 1 GB is 1,000 MB and 1,000,000,000 bytes. Windows uses binary multiples but still labels them GB, so its 1 GB is 1,024 MB and 1,073,741,824 bytes. The same file therefore shows a smaller number in Windows than on the download page.

The calculator uses decimal units unless you tick Size is in binary units. The choice changes the answer by about 2.4% at KB, 4.9% at MB, 7.4% at GB and 10% at TB. A 50 GB file at 100 Mbps takes 1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds in decimal units. Ticked as binary, 50 GB is 53,687,091,200 bytes and takes 1 hour 11 minutes 35 seconds.

If the size came from a store page or a download link, leave the box clear. If you read it from Windows Explorer or a Windows properties window, tick it. The speed side has no such choice: bits per second are decimal everywhere.

Worked transfer time examples

A DVD-sized file on a 25 Mbps line

File size: 4.7 GB; Connection speed: 25 Mbps

25 minutes 4 seconds (1,504 s); speed 3.125 MB/s

A CD image on an 8 Mbps connection

File size: 700 MB; Connection speed: 8 Mbps

11 minutes 40 seconds (700 s); speed 1 MB/s

At 8 Mbps the megabytes and the seconds match, because 8 Mbps is exactly 1 MB/s.

A 5 MB file on a 56 Kbps dial-up modem

File size: 5 MB; Connection speed: 56 Kbps

11 minutes 54 seconds (714 s); speed 0.007 MB/s

Uploading 1 TB of backups at 10 Mbps upload

File size: 1 TB; Connection speed: 10 Mbps

9 days 6 hours 13 minutes (800,000 s); 4.5 GB moved per hour

A 150 GB game on 300 Mbps

File size: 150 GB; Connection speed: 300 Mbps

1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds; speed 37.5 MB/s

1 GB on gigabit

File size: 1 GB; Connection speed: 1 Gbps

8 seconds; speed 125 MB/s

Why a real download takes longer than the estimate

The result is the best case: the whole advertised speed, used by one transfer, from start to finish. In practice:

The plan speed is a maximum. Run a speed test and enter the measured figure for a closer estimate.
Upload speed is usually much lower than download speed on cable and DSL lines. For uploads and cloud backups, enter the upload figure.
Wi-Fi often delivers less than the line speed, especially through walls or on a crowded band.
The server sets a limit too. A download cannot go faster than the other end sends it.
Other devices and apps on the same connection share the speed.
Protocol overhead takes a few percent of the bits. The calculator does not subtract it.
Game launchers download compressed data and then unpack or verify it, which adds time after the transfer itself.

Using Download Time Calculator

1
Type the size in File size and pick KB, MB, GB or TB in Size unit.
2
Type your speed in Connection speed and pick Kbps, Mbps or Gbps in Speed unit. Use your upload speed for an upload.
3
Tick Size is in binary units if the size comes from Windows, which counts 1 GB as 1,024 MB.
4
Read Transfer time, and Speed in megabytes per second to compare with what your browser or game launcher shows.
5
Scroll to the table to see the same file at ten common connection speeds.

Answers to common questions

Can I use this as an upload time calculator?

Yes. The arithmetic is the same in both directions. Enter the file size and your upload speed in Connection speed. Most home connections upload far more slowly than they download, so use the upload figure from a speed test, not the headline plan speed.

Why does my download show 12 MB/s when I pay for 100 Mbps?

Because those are the same speed in different units. 100 megabits per second divided by 8 bits per byte is 12.5 megabytes per second. A browser showing about 12 MB/s on a 100 Mbps plan is using almost the full line.

Does the calculator use decimal or binary gigabytes?

Decimal by default: 1 KB is 1,000 bytes, 1 MB is 1,000 KB, 1 GB is 1,000 MB and 1 TB is 1,000 GB. Tick Size is in binary units to switch every step to 1,024, which matches the sizes Windows reports.

What internet speed do I need to download a 100 GB game in under an hour?

More than about 222 Mbps. 100 GB is 800,000 megabits, and an hour is 3,600 seconds, so 800,000 ÷ 3,600 = 222.2 Mbps. At 300 Mbps the calculator gives 44 minutes 27 seconds, and at 100 Mbps 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds.

How are very short and very long times shown?

Times under ten seconds are shown to two decimals, for example 0.4 seconds for 5 MB at 100 Mbps. Longer times are rounded to the nearest second and split into days, hours, minutes and seconds. Beyond one day the seconds are left out.

Does it allow for a connection that slows down or drops?

No. It assumes a constant speed for the whole transfer and no pauses, retries or protocol overhead. Treat the result as the minimum time and expect a real transfer to run somewhat longer.

What is the difference between a megabit and a megabyte?

A megabit (Mb) is 1,000,000 bits and a megabyte (MB) is 1,000,000 bytes, and a byte is 8 bits. A megabyte is therefore eight times larger. The lowercase b means bits and the capital B means bytes.