PRACTICAL DIGITAL TOOLS
Download & upload time.
Estimate file transfer time with decimal or binary file sizes, network speed and usable bandwidth.
444.44 seconds at 90% usable bandwidth
From file size to a realistic time estimate.
Enter the total file size and the expected sustained connection speed. The same formula estimates downloads, uploads and local copies. Set usable bandwidth to 100% for a theoretical minimum, or reduce it to account for overhead and a shared connection.
Formula and worked example
Seconds = file size in bytes × 8 ÷ (speed in bits/second × usable bandwidth ÷ 100). A 5 GB file at 100 Mbps and 90% usable bandwidth takes approximately 444.44 seconds, or 7 minutes 25 seconds.
GB and MB use decimal prefixes (1 GB = 1,000,000,000 bytes). GiB and MiB use binary prefixes (1 GiB = 1,073,741,824 bytes). Mbps means megabits per second; MB/s means megabytes per second. One byte contains eight bits.
This is an estimate, not a speed test. Congestion, Wi-Fi conditions, server limits and pauses can make the actual transfer longer. No file is uploaded by this tool.
Reference: NIST binary prefixes. Compare data storage units or data transfer rates.