Free tool
Upload time calculator. How long the files take.
Put in the size of the job and your upload speed. See how long it takes to send, and how long your client’s download takes on their connection.
2 hours 13 minutes
At full speed, for 100 GB at 100 Mbps. At percent of that speed: 2 hours 46 minutes.
| Speed | Time |
|---|---|
| 10 Mbps | 22 hours 13 minutes |
| 25 Mbps | 8 hours 53 minutes |
| 50 Mbps | 4 hours 26 minutes |
| 100 Mbps | 2 hours 13 minutes |
| 300 Mbps | 44 minutes 27 seconds |
| 500 Mbps | 26 minutes 40 seconds |
| 1 Gbps | 13 minutes 20 seconds |
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or kept. For a download, put in the download speed instead.
Sending it to a client? DropYourFiles uploads from your browser straight to storage, in parts, and your client gets one link to watch, leave notes and download. Free holds 5 GB. How it compares with WeTransfer
The short answer.
Upload time is the file size in bits divided by your upload speed in bits per second. A 100 GB job at 100 Mbps takes 8,000 seconds, about 2 hours 13 minutes, at full speed. At 10 Mbps the same job takes about 22 hours.
Files are measured in bytes and internet speeds in bits, and there are 8 bits in a byte. Multiply gigabytes by 8 to get gigabits before you divide. Skipping that step is where most guesses go wrong.
Why it takes longer than the math.
A speed test measures the best your connection does for a few seconds. A long upload shares the line with everything else in the house, crosses Wi-Fi, and lands on a server that sets its own pace. The slower line under the answer shows the same job at a share of full speed you choose.
Many home plans sell a far smaller upload speed than download speed. Test the upload number before a big send, and plug a laptop into the router if you can.
The same math for your client.
A download is the same sum with your client’s download speed in it. If they are on a phone in a hotel, put in a slow speed and see whether the masters should wait for the office.
Questions.
How long does it take to upload 100 GB?
At full speed: about 22 hours at 10 Mbps, 2 hours 13 minutes at 100 Mbps, 44 minutes at 300 Mbps, and 13 minutes 20 seconds at 1 Gbps. Real uploads usually run slower than that.
What is the difference between Mbps and MB/s?
Mbps is megabits a second, the unit internet plans and speed tests use. MB/s is megabytes a second, the unit drives and some apps show. One MB/s is 8 Mbps, so a 100 Mbps connection moves at most 12.5 MB/s.
Why is my upload slower than my speed test?
The test is a few seconds at the best moment. Other devices on the network, Wi-Fi, a VPN and the service you upload to all take some of it over an hour. Use the slower line on the calculator to plan.
What happens if my computer sleeps during an upload?
In most browsers the upload stops. DropYourFiles sends each file in parts and remembers which parts arrived, so a stopped upload picks up from there instead of starting over.
Does it work for downloads too?
Yes. Put in the download speed instead, yours or your client’s. The math is the same.
Where the numbers come from.
- Apple ProRes White Paper, April 2022, target data rates (pages 19 to 21), read October 28, 2026.
Keep reading.
- Video file size calculator
- How to send large video files
- How to share raw photos with a client
- Compared with WeTransfer
More free tools: video file size calculator, timecode calculator, fCPXML to SRT and CSV, client notes to Final Cut markers, or all of them.
Send your client one link for the whole job.
Free up to 5 GB. No card. Your client never makes an account.