Download Time Calculator
How long will that game, film, backup or upload take? Enter the size and your speed to get a realistic time, compare it across typical UK connections, or work out the speed you'd need to finish by a deadline.
- Downloads and uploads
- Use your speed test result
- Instant
How long it takes
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Speed needed for a deadline
The same file on other connections
| Connection | Typical speed | Time |
|---|
Mbps or MB/s?
Broadband speeds are sold in megabits per second (Mbps). File sizes are in megabytes (MB). There are 8 bits in a byte, so divide the speed by 8: a 67 Mbps line moves at most about 8.4 MB/s, and 900 Mbps full fibre about 112 MB/s. Download programs and Steam usually show MB/s.
- Upload is usually slower. Part-fibre (FTTC) lines often upload at a quarter of the download speed or less, so backups to the cloud take far longer than downloads. Use your upload speed for those.
- Windows shows sizes in binary units: what it calls 1 GB is really 1.074 GB (a GiB). Choose GiB for sizes copied from File Explorer.
Why downloads are slower than your speed
- The server you download from may be busy or far away, or may limit each download.
- Wi-Fi often gives a fraction of the line speed, especially through walls. Plug in a cable for big downloads.
- Other people and devices on the line share it.
- Your speed may drop in the evening when the network is busiest. Our True Speed & Lag Test shows what you really get.