How long will your
download take?
Put your internet speed into perspective. Work out the time to download a file or send one.
Estimated transfer time
1 GB at 100 Mbps
At a steady connection speed. Wi-Fi, network traffic and the file server can make it take longer.
Start with your actual speed.
A measured result gives you a more useful estimate than your plan's advertised speed.
Mbps and MB/s are different.
Internet speed is measured in megabits per second (Mbps). Files are measured in megabytes (MB) or gigabytes (GB).
Divide Mbps by 8 to get MB/s. A 100 Mbps connection can transfer 12.5 MB each second in ideal conditions.
Put the numbers to work.
A 1 GB file contains 1,000 MB. At 100 Mbps, the calculation is:
That is 1 minute and 20 seconds. Use your upload result instead when sending a file, backing up photos or sharing a video.
Before you hit download
Why can the actual download take longer?
Your connection speed can change during a transfer. Wi-Fi interference, shared bandwidth, protocol overhead and the download server all affect the time. This calculator estimates a transfer at the speed you enter.
Should I enter download or upload speed?
Use download speed when receiving a file. Use upload speed when sending files, uploading videos or backing up to the cloud. Your speed-test results show both.
Does a faster connection use more data?
Downloading the same file uses roughly the same amount of data regardless of speed, plus transfer overhead. Streaming services may automatically choose a higher quality on a faster connection, which can use more data.
Which units does this calculator use?
Decimal units: 1 GB equals 1,000 MB, and 1 MB equals 8 megabits. GiB and MiB use different sizes. If your app reports GiB, multiply that number by 1.073741824 to enter it as GB.