Download & Upload Time Calculator
How long a file takes to download or upload at any connection speed — with the Mbps vs MB/s confusion sorted out for you.
Downloading 20 GB at 100 Mbps takes about
29m 38s
100 Mbps ≈ 12.5 MB/s — ISPs advertise megaBITS (Mbps); files are measured in megaBYTES (8 bits each).
This File at Common Speeds
| Connection | Time |
|---|---|
| 5 Mbps | 9h 52m 36s |
| 10 Mbps | 4h 56m 18s |
| 25 Mbps | 1h 58m 31s |
| 50 Mbps | 59m 16s |
| 100 Mbps | 29m 38s |
| 300 Mbps | 9m 53s |
| 500 Mbps | 5m 56s |
| 1 Gbps (fiber) | 2m 58s |
| 2 Gbps | 1m 29s |
| 5 Gbps | 36s |
| 8 Gbps | 22s |
| 10 Gbps (10G fiber) | 18s |
What Is the Download & Upload Time Calculator?
The Download & Upload Time Calculator tells you how long a file transfer will take: pick a file size, enter your connection speed, and get the time — plus a table showing the same file at common speeds from 5 Mbps DSL to gigabit fiber. It handles the classic confusion built into internet plans: ISPs sell megaBITS per second (Mbps) while files are measured in megaBYTES (MB, 8 bits each), so a '100 Mbps' plan moves at most 12.5 MB per second. Speed can be entered in Kbps, Mbps, Gbps or MB/s, and an optional real-world overhead setting knocks ~10% off for protocol overhead so the estimate matches what actually happens. Presets cover common files — photos, songs, HD and 4K movies, modern games, even an hour of ProRes footage.
How It Works
Choose Download or Upload, set the file size and your connection speed (run a speed test if you're not sure — upload is usually much slower than download), and read the time. The table below shows how the same file fares on other connections.
When to Use It
Use it before queuing a big game download, to estimate how long client footage takes to upload, to sanity-check whether your plan can handle cloud backups, or to explain to someone why 100 Mbps doesn't mean 100 MB per second.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is my real download slower than advertised?
- Three usual reasons: Mbps vs MB/s (divide the advertised number by 8), ~5–15% protocol overhead (the calculator's overhead option models this), and the server or Wi-Fi being the bottleneck rather than your plan.
- Why does uploading take so much longer than downloading?
- Most cable and DSL plans are asymmetric — a '500 Mbps' plan might upload at only 20 Mbps. Enter your actual upload speed from a speed test, not the plan's headline number.
Last reviewed: 2026-06-27