How to change MBs to Mbps in the Copy/Move Window

Hello Win10 users.

Looking for a registry hack/fix to change the speed value of a copy/move window from MBs to Mbps (same as in Task Manager). See attachment as the example.

Thanks!

Thx @breton. I'm certainly no stranger to the acronyms. Rather, I want to change the value of MBps (Mega Bytes per second) to Mbps (Mega bits per second) in the file transfer dialog box. I assume this is a registry change. Can you help in that regard vs the discussion about ISPs?

Many thanks.

I very much doubt such a setting exists and in my opinion should not. Understand that this would not be possible unless the functionality was specifically designed in by Microsoft.

Data transfer measurements are generally specified in bytes, not bits, per second. The only time bits per second are specified is for the capability of a serial device or interface. Then it makes sense. In this case it includes transmission overhead which is unavoidable with serial data. A byte consists of 8 bits but in the real world you will have to send more than 8 bits to receive 1 byte of data. How many more depends on the details of the device or interface and is rarely specified.

Data rates are specified in bytes per second because that is what people want to know. An option to change this would cause confusion for no good reason.

Hi Marsbar,

I was trying to explain this discrepancy to a User the other day, how drive and LAN speeds are measured in MBps, but WAN speeds are measured in Mbps due to ISPs being lying, stealing *******s ...

I agree with you that ALL data transfer speeds could be measured in Mbps, but how can we make that happen ...?

Since your question is the #1 Google result for this question, I'm guessing it has not been solved but I'll keep looking and update if I find anything.

If you already have a solution, please let me know ... I would be very interested to see it :)

In most cases the MB/s value is most appropriate and the only one people care about. But for Ethernet transfer rate Mb/s is most appropriate. Network interfaces transfer bits and the relationship between bits transferred and actual bytes of data is a complicated one. There is no direct or consistent correlation between the two. Networks of all kinds have overhead and how much that will be depends on a multiplicity of factors. There really isn't any way the numbers in post #1 could match. If all rates were in Mb/s there would still be a difference. Also understand that the network may be transferring data that is unrelated to the file transfer.

Windows allows provides for changing many things and that leads many to believe that if you just know the right tricks, the right registry entries, anything can be changed. That is most certainly NOT the case.

Conditionally changing text according to some registry entry is a lot more complicated than it might seem. That is easy enough when you only have to deal with English. But when working with as many languages as Windows 10 supports it becomes very complicated. This is justified only when there is really compelling need. Currently Windows 10 supports 38 languages in the GUI and that will likely be expanded in the future.

Implementing an option to change MB/s to Mb/s would be a really bad idea. This would cause more confusion among users, not less. Microsoft developers have far more important things to deal with.

I appreciate your reply @LMiller7, but it misses the point entirely :)

The question is not "should traffic be measured in MBps or Mbps?"

The question is "is it possible to make the traffic be measured in Mbps?"

There are thousands of examples of registry fixes or other workarounds that address an equal number of concerns. "Should" or "Should Not" have little to do with it :)

I will post back here if I find an answer to the original question ...

My point was that what you want would show information in an inappropriate way, cause confusion, and considerably complicate the design, then why would Microsoft provide a means to do it? I must emphasize that unless Microsoft explicitly designed in the means of doing this then there is nothing you can do in the registry that will make it so.