Download Time Calculator

Short answer: download time in seconds is file size in megabits divided by your speed in Mbps. This calculator does the unit juggling and then adds a realistic allowance for overhead, so the answer is closer to what you will really see.

How is it calculated?

First the file size is turned into bits (gigabytes to megabytes to megabits). Then we divide by your speed. That is the ideal time. Real downloads are a bit slower because of protocol overhead, server limits and small dips in speed, so the tool adds a percentage on top (10% by default, and you can change it).

Example

A 5 GB game at 100 Mbps: 5 GB is 5,000 MB, which is 40,000 megabits. Divided by 100 Mbps that is 400 seconds, or about 6.7 minutes in the perfect case. With 10% overhead it becomes roughly 7.3 minutes. A 50 GB game at the same speed lands at around an hour and 13 minutes.

Why does the real time often run longer?

• The server you download from may cap its speed.
• Wi-Fi is usually slower than a cable and gets worse with distance.
• Other people at home may be streaming at the same time.
• Your drive can be the limit when you download very fast, especially older hard disks.

Planning tips

Start big downloads before you go to bed, use a cable if you can, and pause other devices. If you are not sure of your own speed, check it with the Internet Speed Calculator first.