How many bytes are in a megabyte?

There are 1,048,576 bytes in a megabyte. The prefix “mega" means one million, so approximately a million bytes are in a megabyte. Computers use a binary numeral system to measure memory size based on the power of two.

Computer storage uses bytes. One byte has eight bits, which is translated as two to the power of three, according to the binary system. 1,024 bytes make a kilobyte, which translates to two to the power of ten. The smallest file size that can be stored on a computer is four kilobytes, which equates to 8,192 bits. The prefix “kilo” means a thousand. There are 1,024 kilobytes in a megabyte, so there are 1,024*1,024 bytes in a megabyte, which equals 1,048,576.