# Data Transfer Calculator

Created by Luciano Mino
Last updated: Jun 24, 2022

With the data transfer calculator, you can find how much time it takes to transfer data or how much speed you need to transfer files within a specific time.

This tool essentially functions as a:

• Data transfer time calculator; and as a
• File transfer speed calculator.

Within a few paragraphs, we will explain what data transmission speed is and how you can find how long it takes to transfer data using the formula for data transfer time.

## What is data transmission speed?

Before using the data transfer calculator, let us introduce the logic behind it.

As its name implies, data transmission speed or data transfer speed is the amount of data transferred over a set time period.

You don't need a transfer speed calculator to find it. You only need to divide the amount of data transferred by the time it took to transmit that data (similarly as in the speed and notions):

$s = \frac{d}{t}$

where:

• $s$ is the transmission speed;
• $d$ is the data or file size; and
• $t$ is the time it takes to transfer it.

This speed is usually expressed in Megabits per second (Mbps) or Megabytes per second (MBps).

🙋 You can check our byte conversion calculator and use the logic behind speed conversion to convert between bits per second and bytes per second!

## How long does it take to transfer data? Data transfer time formula

We can also rearrange the data transmission speed formula to get the time it takes to transfer a specific amount of data using a set transmission speed:

$t = \frac{d}{s}$

where again:

• $t$ is the time it takes to transfer it.
• $d$ is the data or file size; and
• $s$ is the transmission speed;

Typically, transmission speed fluctuates while transferring files. That's why you should use the average transmission speed to find the time it will take to transfer data.

While these formulas are pretty straightforward, you can save time using the data transfer calculator. Input any two parameters, and the calculator will automatically output the other!

## Example using the data transfer calculator

Suppose we wanted to find how long it would take to copy a large file from one hard drive to another. We should then follow these quick steps:

1. Find the file's size. Let's say the file is a 2.3 GB movie.
2. Find the data transfer speed. Assume both drives are identical, and we found that they have a 130 MB/s speed.
3. Input that data into the data transfer calculator (with their corresponding units). That's it! In this example, we find that it would take approximately 17s to transfer the file between both hard drives.
Luciano Mino
File size
GB
Transfer speed
Mbit
/s
Time
hrs
min
sec
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