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What is a byte?

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Quick answer

A byte is a basic unit of digital information, made of 8 bits. A bit is a single 1 or 0; eight of them form a byte, which can represent 256 values — enough for a letter or small number. Bytes are how computers measure and store all data.

Key things to understand

  1. A bit is a single binary digit: 1 or 0.
  2. A byte is 8 bits, with 256 possible values.
  3. One byte can store a single character.
  4. Kilobytes, megabytes, and gigabytes scale up from bytes.

People also ask

What is a byte?
A unit of digital data made of 8 bits, able to represent 256 different values — enough for one character.
What's the difference between a bit and a byte?
A bit is a single 1 or 0; a byte is a group of 8 bits.
How big is a kilobyte or megabyte?
A kilobyte is about 1,000 bytes, a megabyte about a million, and a gigabyte about a billion.