Learn how to distinguish between megabits per second and megabytes per second and how they affect file downloads and speeds. There are a variety of words and acronyms to learn when it comes to knowing the internet. One of the most difficult distinctions to make is between Mbps and MBps. What's the difference between the two? While it may seem insignificant, the capital "B" in the second one makes a difference.

What is the distinction between Mbps and MBps?

Bits vs. bytes is the key distinction between the two words. The first acronym, Mbps, stands for megabits per second with a lowercase “b,” while the second, MBps, stands for megabytes per second with a capital “B.”

• Megabits per second (Mbps) is a unit of measurement for download and upload speeds.
• Megabytes per second (MBps) is another unit of measurement, but it's most commonly used to describe the speed at which a file is downloaded or uploaded.

How do the terms megabits per second (Mbps) and megabits per second (MBps) impact online activities?

As previously said, when uploading stuff from the internet, both Mbps and MBps come into play — anything from loading a website to downloading music and movies to watching TV. The length of time it takes to download a file depends on its size and how fast your internet connection is. Other variables, such as whether you're downloading via Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi, can affect download times. But what if you already have a high Mbps connection but still have poor internet? If you have a good download speed but are having trouble with things like gaming or video chatting, it's possible that latency, not bandwidth, is the issue.

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At different speeds, here's an estimate of how long it will take to download the following media types: