What is the download time?
Enter the file size and your connection speed in Mbps to see the download time. Or enter a time to find the speed you need, or how much you can download.
- Download time
- 6.667 min
Downloading 5 GB at 100 Mbps takes 6.667 min (6 minutes, 40 seconds).
- In hours and minutes
- 6 minutes, 40 seconds
- Speed in MB/s
- 12.5
Download time: 6.667 min. Downloading 5 GB at 100 Mbps takes 6.667 min (6 minutes, 40 seconds).
Download time by speed (Mbps)
How to calculate
Computes how long a file takes to download (or upload) from its size and the connection speed in Mbps, or the speed needed to finish in a given time, or the size that fits in a time.
Example with the default inputs (File size 5 GB, Speed (Mbps) 100): Downloading 5 GB at 100 Mbps takes 6.667 min (6 minutes, 40 seconds).
Formula: time = size in bytes × 8 ÷ (speed in Mbps × 1,000,000); size = time × speed × 1,000,000 ÷ 8; speed = size × 8 ÷ (time × 1,000,000).
- The whole connection speed goes to this one file. Real downloads are often slower: protocol overhead, Wi-Fi, a busy server or other devices on the line all take a share.
- Speeds are in megabits per second (Mbps): 1 Mbps is 1,000,000 bits per second, and 1 byte is 8 bits.
- File sizes use SI prefixes (1 GB = 10⁹ bytes) or binary prefixes (1 GiB = 2³⁰ bytes), whichever unit you pick.
- Every step is exact on the numbers as typed; values are rounded only for display.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- File size 5 GB, Speed (Mbps) 100 gives Download time 6.667 min, In hours and minutes 6 minutes, 40 seconds, Speed in MB/s 12.5.Source: SI prefixes giga = 10⁹, mega = 10⁶ (NIST, https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si-prefixes)
- File size 0.734 GB, Speed (Mbps) 8 gives Download time 12.23 min, In hours and minutes 12 minutes, 14 seconds, Speed in MB/s 1.Source: Binary prefix mebi = 2²⁰ (NIST, https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Units/binary.html)
- File size 50 GB, Download time 60 min gives Speed (Mbps) 111.111111, In hours and minutes 1 hour.Source: 50 × 10⁹ × 8 ÷ 3,600 ÷ 10⁶ = 111.1 Mbps (SI prefixes, NIST https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si-prefixes)
- Speed (Mbps) 1,000, Download time 1 min gives File size 7.5 GB.Source: 60 s × 1,000 × 10⁶ bits per second ÷ 8 = 7.5 × 10⁹ bytes = 7.5 GB (SI prefixes, NIST https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/metric-si-prefixes)
How it works
A download moves the file’s bits at the connection speed. A byte is 8 bits, and 1 Mbps (megabit per second) is 1,000,000 bits per second, so
time (seconds) = size (bytes) × 8 ÷ (speed (Mbps) × 1,000,000)
Fill in any two of the three and the calculator finds the third:
- size (bytes) = time × speed × 1,000,000 ÷ 8
- speed (Mbps) = size × 8 ÷ (time × 1,000,000)
Units
- File size: any unit in the list. SI units use powers of ten (1 kB = 1,000 bytes, 1 MB = 10⁶, 1 GB = 10⁹, 1 TB = 10¹², 1 PB = 10¹⁵ bytes); binary units use powers of two (1 KiB = 2¹⁰ bytes, 1 MiB = 2²⁰, 1 GiB = 2³⁰, 1 TiB = 2⁴⁰ bytes). Bit units are an eighth of a byte (1 Mbit = 125,000 bytes).
- Speed: megabits per second (Mbps) only. 1 Gbps = 1,000 Mbps; a speed in MB/s is 8 times as many Mbps.
- Time: seconds, minutes, hours or days.
Rules
- Size, speed and time must be above 0. The largest values are 10¹⁸ bytes for the size, 100,000 Mbps for the speed and 10⁹ seconds for the time; a solved value outside these limits gives no answer.
- The whole speed goes to the one file: no protocol overhead or slowdowns are counted.
- Every step is exact on the numbers as typed (each decimal is read exactly); values are rounded only for display.
What the calculator shows
- The missing value in the unit of its box.
- In hours and minutes: the time in days, hours, minutes and seconds, each part a whole number and the total rounded half up to the whole second, with parts that are 0 left out (for example "1 hour, 6 minutes, 40 seconds"; "1 hour"). A time under half a second shows "under 1 second".
- Speed in MB/s: the speed ÷ 8, rounded half up to at most three decimal places, without trailing zeros.
Worked examples by hand
A 5 GB game at 100 Mbps. 5 GB = 5 × 10⁹ bytes = 4 × 10¹⁰ bits. 100 Mbps = 10⁸ bits per second. Time = 4 × 10¹⁰ ÷ 10⁸ = 400 seconds = 6 minutes, 40 seconds. The speed is 100 ÷ 8 = 12.5 MB/s.
A 700 MiB file at 8 Mbps. 700 MiB = 700 × 1,048,576 = 734,003,200 bytes = 5,872,025,600 bits. Time = 5,872,025,600 ÷ 8,000,000 = 734.0032 seconds, about 12 minutes, 14 seconds. The speed is 1 MB/s.
50 GB in one hour. Speed = 50 × 10⁹ × 8 ÷ (3,600 × 1,000,000) = 400,000 ÷ 3,600 = 111.11 Mbps.
What 1 Gbps moves in a minute. Size = 60 × 1,000 × 1,000,000 ÷ 8 = 7.5 × 10⁹ bytes = 7.5 GB.
Other questions people ask
How do I calculate download time?
Turn the file size into bits (1 byte is 8 bits) and divide by the speed in bits per second. A 5 GB file is 5 × 10⁹ × 8 = 4 × 10¹⁰ bits; at 100 Mbps (10⁸ bits per second) it takes 4 × 10¹⁰ ÷ 10⁸ = 400 seconds, or 6 minutes 40 seconds.
What is the difference between Mbps and MB/s?
Mbps is megabits per second, the unit internet plans and speed tests use. MB/s is megabytes per second, which many download managers show. A byte is 8 bits, so 100 Mbps is 12.5 MB/s.
Why is my download slower than the calculator says?
The calculator assumes the whole speed goes to one file. In practice some of the line is used by protocol overhead, Wi-Fi loss, other devices and the server at the other end, so real downloads often take longer. Run a speed test and use that number for a closer estimate.
What speed do I need to download a file in a set time?
Enter the file size and the time, and leave the speed empty. To download 50 GB in one hour you need 50 × 10⁹ × 8 ÷ 3,600 = 111.1 million bits per second, about 111 Mbps.
Is a GB 1,000 MB or 1,024 MB?
Both are in use. GB (gigabyte) is 10⁹ bytes in SI units, and GiB (gibibyte) is 2³⁰ = 1,073,741,824 bytes. Some operating systems show GiB values with the label GB, so pick GiB in the unit list if your file size comes from one of them.
Does this work for upload time too?
Yes. The maths is the same: use your upload speed, which on many home plans is much lower than the download speed.