Words to Bytes Converter

How it is calculated

A byte is 8 bits, and a word is however many bits you say it has, so the bytes in one word are the word size divided by 8. The direction setting picks which way to convert:

Words to bytes: bytes = words × (word size in bits ÷ 8)
Bytes to words: words = bytes ÷ (word size in bits ÷ 8)

The tool also shows the total number of bits (value × 8 for bytes, value × word size for words) and echoes the word size. Both the value and the word size must be above zero, and the word size must be a whole number of bits: leaving it empty or typing 12.5 gives no result. Despite the 16, 32 and 64-bit options on the page, any whole-number word size is accepted (a 12-bit word gives 1.5 bytes). The results are shown to two decimals, so a byte count that does not divide evenly gives a fractional word count, and a result of exactly one is labelled in the singular (1.00 byte).

Common mistakes

• Leaving the direction on the wrong setting. With words to bytes selected, entering a byte count multiplies it instead of dividing, and the answer is several times too big.
• Assuming a word is always 16 bits. The word is whatever size the architecture uses, and the same word count gives 4 times as many bytes at 64 bits as at 16 bits.
• Mixing a 16-bit "word" from an older instruction set with a 32-bit machine word from your CPU. Check which size your documentation uses.
• Ignoring a fractional word result. 10 bytes at 32 bits gives 2.50 words, but memory is allocated in whole words, so you need to round up to 3.
• Confusing bits with bytes in the value field. The tool counts bytes there (or words); a figure in megabits must first be divided by 8.