Convert Mbps to kbps

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1 Mbps is 1000 kbps, so you multiply megabits per second by 1000. Type a speed and the result appears straight away: 12 Mbps gives 12,000 kbps, the number that goes into the Video Bitrate box in OBS Studio.

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How many kbps is 1 Mbps?

One megabit per second is 1000 kilobits per second. You multiply the Mbps figure by 1000: kbps = Mbps × 1000[1].

Speeds from a provider’s offer and from a speed test convert the same way. A 30 Mbps line gives 30,000 kbps. A speed of 100 Mbps is 100,000 kbps.

The conversion matters wherever a field takes kilobits only and you know the line in megabits. That is how the bitrate box in streaming software works: a bitrate of 5 Mbps goes in as 5000.

Multiplying works the same way on fractions, and those turn up on slower connections. A speed of 0.5 Mbps is 500 kbps, and 0.05 Mbps is 50 kbps.

Without a calculator, add three zeros or move the decimal point three places to the right. A value written in kilobits goes back in the kbps to Mbps converter.

What is a megabit per second, and what is a kilobit per second?

A megabit per second is the unit providers use to describe a line and the one speed tests report. One megabit per second means a million bits sent every second. A bit is the smallest piece of information, a single zero or one.

A kilobit per second is the unit a thousand times smaller: a thousand bits in a second. The kilo and mega prefixes come from the SI and keep their values next to bits, a thousand and a million[1]. That is where the multiplier of 1000 between the two units comes from, while the 1024 multiplier has a unit of its own: the kibibit per second, written Kibit/s[1]. Both families of units appear side by side in the table in the kbps to Mbps converter.

Both units measure the same quantity, bit rate[2]. Choosing between them is a matter of convenient notation: megabits suit household line speeds, kilobits suit the values a program wants down to the unit.

English pages write Mbps and kbps, as Netflix help does[3].

Router with two antennas seen from the back, with a blue cable in the yellow port
A blue network cable sits in the yellow port of the router, next to the power switch. A provider quotes the line speed in megabits, while streaming software asks for the bitrate in kilobits: 100 Mbps is 100,000 kbps. Photo: Compare Fibre, Unsplash.

Mbps to kbps conversion table

The rows run from 0.05 Mbps up to 1000 Mbps, which is a gigabit offer. Each result is written the way the converter field shows it.
Speed in MbpsThe same in kbps
0.05 Mbps50 kbps
0.1 Mbps100 kbps
0.5 Mbps500 kbps
1 Mbps1,000 kbps
2 Mbps2,000 kbps
3 Mbps3,000 kbps
4 Mbps4,000 kbps
5 Mbps5,000 kbps
6 Mbps6,000 kbps
8 Mbps8,000 kbps
10 Mbps10,000 kbps
12 Mbps12,000 kbps
15 Mbps15,000 kbps
20 Mbps20,000 kbps
24 Mbps24,000 kbps
25 Mbps25,000 kbps
30 Mbps30,000 kbps
35 Mbps35,000 kbps
40 Mbps40,000 kbps
50 Mbps50,000 kbps
60 Mbps60,000 kbps
80 Mbps80,000 kbps
100 Mbps100,000 kbps
150 Mbps150,000 kbps
200 Mbps200,000 kbps
250 Mbps250,000 kbps
300 Mbps300,000 kbps
400 Mbps400,000 kbps
500 Mbps500,000 kbps
600 Mbps600,000 kbps
800 Mbps800,000 kbps
1,000 Mbps1,000,000 kbps

How many kbps do Netflix, YouTube and video calls need?

The services publish their requirements in megabits per second, while streaming software and quality settings ask for kilobits. Both columns describe the same speed.
Bundle of blue telecom cables with numbered markers, terminated on green boards
The blue cables carry yellow and green markers with numbers, and the coloured wires are terminated on green boards in a metal frame. Each path has a speed of its own, written in megabits or kilobits per second. Photo: Franck V., Unsplash.
What forIn MbpsThe same in kbps
Netflix, HD 720p picture3 Mbps3,000 kbps
Netflix, Full HD 1080p picture5 Mbps5,000 kbps
Netflix, 4K picture15 Mbps15,000 kbps
YouTube, 480p picture1.1 Mbps1,100 kbps
YouTube, 720p picture2.5 Mbps2,500 kbps
YouTube, 1080p picture5 Mbps5,000 kbps
YouTube, 4K picture20 Mbps20,000 kbps
Zoom, group call in 720p, upload2.6 Mbps2,600 kbps
Zoom, call in 1080p, upload3.8 Mbps3,800 kbps
The picture speeds come from Netflix help[3] and YouTube help[4], and the call bandwidth from Zoom help[5].

What bitrate do you type into OBS Studio for a YouTube live stream?

YouTube help gives the recommended stream bitrate in Mbps, while the Video Bitrate box in OBS Studio takes kbps. The rows follow the recommendations for the H.264 codec.
Resolution and frame rateYouTube recommendation for H.264Value for the Video Bitrate box
4K/2160p at 60 fps35 Mbps35,000 kbps
4K/2160p at 30 fps30 Mbps30,000 kbps
1440p at 60 fps24 Mbps24,000 kbps
1440p at 30 fps15 Mbps15,000 kbps
1080p at 60 fps12 Mbps12,000 kbps
1080p at 30 fps10 Mbps10,000 kbps
720p at 60 fps6 Mbps6,000 kbps
240p–720p at 30 fps4 Mbps4,000 kbps
The H.264 recommendations come from the encoder settings table in YouTube help[6], and the box name from OBS Studio[7]. The bitrate you type takes up upload bandwidth for the whole stream, so it has to fit within your line’s upload speed.

How many kilobytes per second match a megabit?

A provider quotes the line in bits while a download window shows it in bytes. One byte contains eight bits, so the bit figure is divided by eight.
SpeedIn kbpsIn kB/sIn MB/s
1 Mbps1,000 kbps125 kB/s0.125 MB/s
5 Mbps5,000 kbps625 kB/s0.625 MB/s
10 Mbps10,000 kbps1,250 kB/s1.25 MB/s
30 Mbps30,000 kbps3,750 kB/s3.75 MB/s
100 Mbps100,000 kbps12,500 kB/s12.5 MB/s
300 Mbps300,000 kbps37,500 kB/s37.5 MB/s
1,000 Mbps1,000,000 kbps125,000 kB/s125 MB/s
Any other speed turns from bits into bytes in the Mbps to MB/s converter, while file sizes themselves move in the KB to MB converter.

Which number formats does this converter accept?

The field reads every one of these formats and converts it, so there is nothing to tidy up before you paste. The table shows what the converter does with each entry, and the converter worked out every result itself.
What you typeWhat the converter showsNote
1212,000 kbpsA number on its own is read as megabits per second, because that is the unit on the field.
12 Mbps12,000 kbpsThe Mbps symbol that YouTube help uses is skipped when it comes with the number.
0.5500 kbpsThe decimal point separates the fraction, exactly as you would expect.
0,5500 kbpsA comma followed by one or two digits can only be a decimal comma, so the result is the same.
1.5001,500 kbpsA single point is always read as a decimal point, so the field counts one and a half megabits per second. A note under the field says: Read as 1.5. If you meant 1500, type 1500.
1,5001,500,000 kbpsA comma before three digits groups thousands in English, so this is fifteen hundred megabits per second. A note under the field says: Read as 1500. If you meant 1.5, type 1.5.
1 5001,500,000 kbpsA space between the thousands, as written in much of Europe and in SI style, gives the same result as 1,500.
500 kbps500 kbpsKilobits are turned into 0.5 Mbps, a line under the field says so, and the answer comes back as 500 kbps.
1 Gbps1,000,000 kbpsGigabits are turned into 1,000 Mbps and a line under the field says so.
12.5 MB/s100,000 kbpsMegabytes per second from a download window are multiplied by eight, stored as 100 Mbps and reported under the field.
To turn a speed read in MB/s from a download window into megabits, use the MB/s to Mbps converter.

How do you enter a bitrate in OBS Studio when you know it in Mbps?

Your provider quotes the upload in megabits and streaming software asks for the bitrate in kilobits. The field and button names come from the English version of OBS Studio.

  1. Read your upload speed

    Run a speed test and note the upload figure in Mbps. Put it in the field on this page and you get the same value in kilobits: a line with a 20 Mbps upload gives 20,000 kbps.

  2. Open the output settings

    In OBS Studio, click Settings and choose the Output tab on the left of the window. Leave Output Mode on Simple[7].

  3. Type the number in the Video Bitrate box

    The Video Bitrate box takes a value in kilobits per second, and OBS shows a service’s limits next to it in kbps[7]. Type the number from this converter there: 10 Mbps becomes 10,000.

  4. Check what is left for the rest of the house

    The value you type occupies upload bandwidth for the whole stream. On a line with a 20 Mbps upload, which is 20,000 kbps, a stream at 10,000 kbps leaves the same again for other devices.

Convert Megabits/s to other units

Mbps to MB/sMbps to Gbps

Sources

  1. Prefixes for binary multiples — National Institute of Standards and Technology
  2. Bit rate — Wikipedia
  3. Internet connection speed recommendations — Netflix
  4. YouTube system requirements — Google
  5. System requirements, including bandwidth — Zoom
  6. Live encoder settings, bitrates and resolutions — Google
  7. OBS Studio interface strings, en-US.ini — OBS Project

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 Mbps and kbps

Is Mb/s the same as MB/s?

A lower-case b means bits and a capital B means bytes, and one byte contains eight bits. A 100 Mb/s line therefore moves 12.5 MB/s. The first number is the one in your provider’s offer, the second is the one in a download window, and the Mbps to MB/s converter moves between them.

How many kbps is 1 Gbps?

A gigabit per second is 1000 megabits per second, which comes to 1,000,000 kilobits per second. The giga prefix stands for a billion, so that speed is a billion bits every second[1].

Does upload convert the same way as download?

Yes, the multiplier is the same in both directions of traffic. A 10 Mbps upload is 10,000 kbps, exactly as a 10 Mbps download is. Only the figures in the offer differ, because upload speed can be lower than download speed.

Arteon free tool screenshot: Convert Mbps to kbps

A question or a suggestion?

Write to us if you need another transmission unit converted or you spot a value in the tables worth correcting.