How long does it take to download 20 GB at 200 Mbps?

13 min 20 sec Theoretical minimum at full line rate (25 MB/s), real downloads typically run 5โ€“15% slower. Edit the calculator and this updates live.

Mbps vs MB/s, why the math says 13 min 20 sec

Internet plans are sold in megabits per second (Mbps, small b). File sizes are shown in megabytes (MB, big B). One byte is 8 bits, so a 100 Mbps connection moves at most 12.5 MB of file data per second, divide your plan speed by 8 to get the number your download manager shows.

That factor of 8 is why a "100 meg" plan doesn't download a 100 MB file in one second: it needs 8 seconds in theory, and a little more in practice once protocol overhead (typically 5โ€“15%), Wi-Fi conditions, and server limits are counted.

time = (20 GB ร— 8 bits/byte) รท 200 Mbps = 13 min 20 sec

20 GB at every common speed

Connection speedDownload time
5 Mbps 8 hr 53 min 20 sec
10 Mbps 4 hr 26 min 40 sec
25 Mbps 1 hr 46 min 40 sec
50 Mbps 53 min 20 sec
100 Mbps 26 min 40 sec
200 Mbps (this page) 13 min 20 sec
300 Mbps 8 min 53 sec
500 Mbps 5 min 20 sec
1 Gbps 2 min 40 sec

Other file sizes at 200 Mbps

File sizeDownload time
100 MB 4 sec
250 MB 10 sec
500 MB 20 sec
1 GB 40 sec
2 GB 1 min 20 sec
5 GB 3 min 20 sec
10 GB 6 min 40 sec
20 GB (this page) 13 min 20 sec
50 GB 33 min 20 sec
100 GB 1 hr 6 min 40 sec
250 GB 2 hr 46 min 40 sec
500 GB 5 hr 33 min 20 sec
1 TB 11 hr 6 min 40 sec
2 TB 22 hr 13 min 20 sec

Frequently asked questions

How long does 20 GB really take at 200 Mbps?

The theoretical minimum is 13 min 20 sec. Real downloads lose 5โ€“15% to protocol overhead, Wi-Fi conditions, and server throttling, so plan on roughly 14 min 40 sec to 15 min 20 sec.

What is 200 Mbps in MB/s?

200 megabits per second equals 25 megabytes per second (divide by 8, because one byte is 8 bits). Your download manager reports MB/s, which is why the number looks smaller than your plan speed.

What speed do I need to download 20 GB in under 10 minutes?

At least 267 Mbps of real throughput. Add ~10% headroom for overhead when choosing a plan.

How long would 20 GB take on gigabit (1 Gbps)?

2 min 40 sec, about 5ร— faster than 200 Mbps.