Definition
A megabyte is a unit of digital information commonly equal to about one million bytes, often used to measure file sizes and storage capacity. In some technical contexts, it can mean 1,048,576 bytes (1024 × 1024).
Etymology
Formed from “mega-”, a metric prefix meaning 'one million', plus “byte”, a basic unit of digital information. The prefix “mega-” comes from Greek “megas” meaning 'great, large'. Computers adopted metric prefixes in the mid‑20th century to name growing data sizes.
Kelly Says
Because computers like powers of two, a 'megabyte' in practice often means 1,048,576 bytes, not a neat one million—this tiny mismatch has confused users and fueled lawsuits over hard drive sizes. The 'mega' here is the same 'mega' in 'megastar'—just measuring data instead of fame.
Translations
ARالعربية
ميجابايت
mi-ga-ba-yit
BNবাংলা
মেগাবাইট
me-ga-ba-it
CACatalà
megabyte
me-ga-bait
CSČeština
megabajt
me-ga-bajt
DADansk
megabyte
me-ga-bait
DEDeutsch
Megabyte
meg-a-baɪt
ELΕλληνικά
μεγαβάYTE
me-ga-va-i-te
ESEspañol
megabyte
meg-a-bai-t
FAفارسی
مگابایت
me-ga-ba-it
FISuomi
megabyte
me-ga-baɪt
FRFrançais
mégaoctet
meh-gah-o-sye
GUGU
મેગાબાઈટ
me-ga-bai-t
HEעברית
מגהבייט
me-ga-ba-it
HIहिन्दी
मेगाबाइट
me-ga-bai-t
HUMagyar
megabyte
me-ga-bait
IDBahasa Indonesia
megabyte
me-ga-bait
IGIG
megabyte
me-ga-bai-t
ITItaliano
megabyte
me-ga-bai-te
KO한국어
메가바이트
me-ga-bai-teu
MRMR
मेगाबाईट
me-ga-bai-t
MSBahasa Melayu
megabait
me-ga-bait
MYမြန်မာ
မီဂါဘိုက်
mee-ga-bai-t
NLNederlands
megabyte
me-ga-baɪt
NONorsk
megabyte
me-ga-bait
PAPA
ਮੇਗਾਬਾਇਟ
me-ga-bai-t
PLPolski
megabajt
me-ga-bajt
PTPortuguês
megabyte
me-ga-bai-t
RORomână
megabayt
me-ga-bait
RUРусский
мегабайт
me-ga-bayt
SVSvenska
megabyte
me-ga-bait
SWKiswahili
megabiti
me-ga-bi-ti
TAதமிழ்
மேகabayt
me-ga-bai-t
TEతెలుగు
మెగాబైట్
me-ga-bai-t
THไทย
เมกะไบต์
me-ka-bai-t
TRTürkçe
megabayt
me-ga-bayt
UKУкраїнська
мегабайт
me-ga-bayt
URاردو
میگابائٹ
mi-ga-ba-it
VITiếng Việt
megabyte
meg-a-bai-t