Free calculator
Upload Time Calculator
A 50 GB file takes 1 hour 6 minutes 40 seconds to upload at 100 Mbps. Enter your file size and upload speed to get the typical time, with a best and worst case 15% either side for real-world network variation.
Free, no sign-up. Runs in your browser.
Built on the same formulas as the Upload Time Calculator in the CineMath app. Save, share and get the Pro tools in the app.
How it works
seconds = (file size × 8) ÷ upload speedConvert both to bits first. Sizes are decimal and a byte is 8 bits: 1 GB = 8,000 megabits and 1 TB = 8,000,000 megabits. Speeds are bits per second: 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 bits a second.
Where
- file size
- in bytes (KB, MB, GB or TB)
- upload speed
- in bits per second (Kbps, Mbps or Gbps)
best = t × (1 − 0.15) worst = t × (1 + 0.15)Each end is rounded to the second on its own. Real transfers vary with protocol overhead, other traffic and the server at the far end, so treat the range as a planning margin, not a promise.
Measuring your upload speed
Use the upload result of a speed test run on the machine and network you will send from, while nothing else is syncing. In the CineMath app (version 1.3, coming soon to the App Store), CineMath Professional adds an upload speed test that fills in the measured speed for you.
Worked example
How long to upload 100 GB at 50 Mbps
- 100 GB × 8,000 = 800,000 megabits
- 800,000 ÷ 50 Mbps = 16,000 s = 4 h 26 min 40 s
- Best case: 16,000 × 0.85 = 13,600 s = 3 h 46 min 40 s
- Worst case: 16,000 × 1.15 = 18,400 s = 5 h 6 min 40 s
100 GB at 50 Mbps: about 4 h 27 min, between 3 h 47 min and 5 h 7 min.
Quick reference
Typical upload time
| File size | 20 Mbps | 100 Mbps | 500 Mbps | 1 Gbps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 GB | 1h 6m 40s | 13m 20s | 2m 40s | 1m 20s |
| 50 GB | 5h 33m 20s | 1h 6m 40s | 13m 20s | 6m 40s |
| 100 GB | 11h 6m 40s | 2h 13m 20s | 26m 40s | 13m 20s |
| 500 GB | 2d 7h 33m 20s | 11h 6m 40s | 2h 13m 20s | 1h 6m 40s |
| 1 TB | 4d 15h 6m 40s | 22h 13m 20s | 4h 26m 40s | 2h 13m 20s |
Save, share and get the Pro tools in the CineMath app
CineMath is a free download for iPhone, iPad and Mac, with this calculator built in. In version 1.3, coming soon to the App Store, CineMath Professional saves calculations to your history, shares them as links, and adds the Camera Database and Data Planning.
Questions
How long does it take to upload 100 GB?
At 100 Mbps, 2 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds; at 1 Gbps, 13 minutes 20 seconds; at 20 Mbps, 11 hours 6 minutes 40 seconds. Every 100 GB is 800,000 megabits, so divide 800,000 by your upload speed in Mbps to get seconds.
What is the difference between Mbps and MB/s?
Mbps is megabits per second, the unit internet plans use; MB/s is megabytes per second, the unit file sizes and copy dialogs use. A byte is 8 bits, so divide Mbps by 8: 100 Mbps moves 12.5 MB a second.
Why is my upload slower than the calculator says?
Most home connections upload far slower than they download, so check the upload figure from a speed test, not the plan’s headline speed. Protocol overhead, Wi-Fi, other devices and the receiving server all take a share. The worst case adds 15% for this; a much larger gap usually means the speed you entered is not the speed you get.
Does the calculator use 1,000 or 1,024 bytes per kilobyte?
Decimal units, 1,000: 1 GB is 1,000,000,000 bytes, the way drive makers and network speeds count. If a program reports the size in binary units (GiB, 1,073,741,824 bytes), multiply by 1.0737 before entering it in GB.
When is it faster to ship a drive?
The calculator warns when a typical upload passes 24 hours. 10 TB at 100 Mbps takes 9 days 6 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds, so for a large camera-original delivery a courier or a cloud ingest service is often quicker.