Convert exabytes to zettabytes
1,024 EB make 1 ZB in the binary standard, and 1,000 EB make 1 ZB in the decimal one. Enter a number of exabytes and the converter gives it in zettabytes in the standard you pick with the switch below the fields.
What are exabytes and zettabytes?
An exabyte (EB) is 1018 bytes, a quintillion. A zettabyte (ZB) is 1021 bytes, a sextillion. Both also have a binary counterpart counted in powers of two: the exbibyte (EiB) of 260 bytes and the zebibyte (ZiB) of 270 bytes[1].
The zetta prefix is fairly recent. The General Conference on Weights and Measures added it to the SI in 1991, together with yotta for 1024[2]. For the units from bytes up to petabytes, try the data unit converter.
How do you convert exabytes to zettabytes? Formula and Excel
A zettabyte is one step above the exabyte, so you divide the number of exabytes by one of two divisors:
- binary: ZB = EB ÷ 1,024,
- decimal: ZB = EB ÷ 1,000.
So 2,048 EB is 2 ZB in binary and 2.048 ZB in decimal. At this size the gap between the standards is wider than with megabytes: a zebibyte holds just over 18% more bytes than a zettabyte.
In Excel, =CONVERT(A2,"Ebyte","Zbyte") gives the decimal result and =CONVERT(A2,"Eibyte","Zibyte") the binary one[3]. The ZB to EB converter works the other way round.
How many zettabytes is a given number of exabytes?
| Exabytes | Binary (1024) | Decimal (1000) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 EB | 0.0009766 ZB | 0.001 ZB |
| 2 EB | 0.001953 ZB | 0.002 ZB |
| 5 EB | 0.004883 ZB | 0.005 ZB |
| 10 EB | 0.009766 ZB | 0.01 ZB |
| 16 EB | 0.015625 ZB | 0.016 ZB |
| 50 EB | 0.048828 ZB | 0.05 ZB |
| 100 EB | 0.097656 ZB | 0.1 ZB |
| 128 EB | 0.125 ZB | 0.128 ZB |
| 250 EB | 0.244141 ZB | 0.25 ZB |
| 500 EB | 0.488281 ZB | 0.5 ZB |
| 512 EB | 0.5 ZB | 0.512 ZB |
| 1,000 EB | 0.976563 ZB | 1 ZB |
| 1,024 EB | 1 ZB | 1.024 ZB |
| 1,500 EB | 1.464844 ZB | 1.5 ZB |
| 2,000 EB | 1.953125 ZB | 2 ZB |
| 2,048 EB | 2 ZB | 2.048 ZB |
| 5,000 EB | 4.882813 ZB | 5 ZB |
| 8,192 EB | 8 ZB | 8.192 ZB |
| 10,000 EB | 9.765625 ZB | 10 ZB |
Which number formats does this converter accept?
| What you type | What the converter shows | How we read it |
|---|---|---|
| 1.5 | 0.001465 ZB | The dot is a decimal point, so the field holds one and a half exabytes. |
| 1,500 | 1.464844 ZB | A comma followed by three digits is a thousands separator, so the field holds fifteen hundred exabytes. A hint under the field shows how to type 1.5 instead. |
| 1.500 | 0.001465 ZB | A single dot is always read as a decimal point, so we count one and a half exabytes. A hint appears below the field, and you can type fifteen hundred exabytes as 1500 or 1,500. |
| 1024EB | 1 ZB | A unit stuck to the number without a space matches the field's unit, so you don't need to delete it. |
| 2 exabytes | 0.001953 ZB | The full unit name is recognised too, in the singular or the plural. |
| 16 EiB | 0.015625 ZB | An exbibyte is always 2⁶⁰ bytes, so in the Decimal (1000) standard the same entry gives 0.018447 ZB. |
| 500 PB | 0.0004768 ZB | Petabytes pasted into the exabytes field are rewritten as 0.488281 EB, and a note below the field says so. |
| 2 ZB | 2 ZB | Zettabytes pasted into the exabytes field are rewritten as 2048 EB, so the result comes back to the same number. |
| 1e3 | 0.976563 ZB | Scientific notation from a spreadsheet is read directly: 1e3 means a thousand exabytes. |
| 3/4 | 0.0007324 ZB | A fraction is divided straight away, so the field holds three quarters of an exabyte. |
Which standard should you pick?
You set the standard with the Unit standard switch below the fields. The right choice depends on where the exabyte figure comes from.
A system or processor limit
Pick Binary (1024). Address space and file system limits come from powers of two, so they are stated in EiB and ZiB.A figure from a report or statistic
Pick Decimal (1000). Totals of data use SI prefixes, where a zettabyte is an even thousand exabytes.A value given in EiB
Pick Binary (1024). EiB stands for exbibyte, a unit counted in powers of two, which is how the converter calculates in this mode.
How many exabytes can a 64-bit processor address?
A processor with 64-bit memory addresses can directly access 264 bytes[4], which is exactly 16 EiB. Enter 16 in the Binary (1024) standard and the converter shows 0.015625 ZB, one sixty-fourth of a zebibyte.
In decimal units the same 264 bytes come to about 18.45 EB.
Convert other units to Zettabytes
Convert Exabytes to other units
Sources
- Binary prefix — Wikipedia
- Resolution 4 of the 19th CGPM (1991) — BIPM
- CONVERT function — Microsoft
- 64-bit computing — Wikipedia
Every figure in the tables was computed from the unit definitions and checked arithmetically before publication. Historical values and the names of local units come from the sources listed above.
Content last reviewed: · written and checked by the Arteon team
Frequently asked questions about exabytes and zettabytes
What comes after the zettabyte?
The next unit is the yottabyte (YB), which is 1024 bytes, or a thousand zettabytes. The yotta prefix entered the SI in 1991, at the same time as zetta[2]. To turn zettabytes into yottabytes, use the data unit converter.
How many bytes are in a zettabyte?
A zettabyte holds 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes. Its binary version, the zebibyte, holds 1,180,591,620,717,411,303,424 bytes.
Got a question or a suggestion?
If you spot a mistake in a table or the field won't accept a format you copy, let us know.