Broadband tools

Download time calculator: how long will it take?

How long a download takes comes down to two things: the size of the file and your speed. A two-hour HD film is roughly 6 GB (Netflix, n.d.), which takes about 12 minutes on a typical 67 Mbps line and around 55 seconds on a 900 Mbps full fibre connection. A 100 GB game drops from over three hours to about 15 minutes. Set your own file and speed below to see your time, and how much faster full fibre would be.

1 What are you moving?

or enter your own size
67 Mbps
20 Mbps
On 900 Mbps full fibre, an HD film downloads in
55 sec13× faster
Your 67 Mbps line takes about 12 min
Your speed
12 min
900 Mbps full fibre
55 sec

Uploading it takes about 40 min at your 20 Mbps upload speed.

Not as quick as you would like?

Compare full fibre at your postcode Test your real speed
Faster is not always better value. Most UK homes are well served below gigabit, so it is worth checking what you actually need. Work out the right speed for your household, read the UK broadband speed guide, or see sensible-speed deals under 500 Mbps before you upgrade.

Estimated at your full line speed, the best case. Real-world times run a little longer once Wi-Fi and network overheads are included: Ofcom notes a 1 GB HD episode takes almost 15 minutes on a 10 Mbps line (Ofcom, 2025).

Why your real download speed is slowerA visual of why real download speeds fall a little short of the line speed, from Wi-Fi and router limits to the device and the source server. Why your real speed is a little slower Your lineRouterand Wi-FiYour deviceThe website'sserver Each step shaves a little off, so treat the calculator as a best case. A wired connection gets you closest to your full line speed.
Your line speed is the best case: Wi-Fi, your router, your device and the source server each shave a little off.

How much faster is full fibre, really?

Download time falls almost in step with speed, so a 900 Mbps full fibre line is roughly thirteen times quicker than a 67 Mbps connection and about ninety times quicker than a 10 Mbps one. A 4K film that takes nearly half an hour on an older line arrives in about two minutes on full fibre. The bigger the file, the bigger the difference you feel, which is why gaming, 4K and large backups are where speed earns its keep. Full fibre is now within reach for most of the country: gigabit-capable networks cover 87% of UK premises and full fibre reaches 78% (Ofcom, 2025).

How much faster full fibre is for downloadsA visual race comparing download time on a 67 Mbps connection against 900 Mbps full fibre for a 6 GB HD film, showing full fibre is about 13 times faster. How much faster is full fibre? The same 6 GB HD film Your line, 67 Mbps12 min Full fibre, 900 Mbps55 sec 13× faster 55 seconds, not 12 minutes
The same 6 GB HD film: about 12 minutes on a 67 Mbps line, or around 55 seconds on 900 Mbps full fibre.

How download time is worked out

The sum is simple: the size of the file divided by your speed. A file in gigabytes holds eight thousand megabits per gigabyte, because one byte is eight bits, and your speed is measured in megabits per second. So a 6 GB HD film is 48,000 megabits, which is about 12 minutes at 67 Mbps and 55 seconds at 900 Mbps. Upload uses the same sum with your upload speed, which on part fibre is usually far lower than your download speed. This calculator shows the best case at your full line speed; in real life Wi-Fi, an ageing router and busy servers shave a little off, which is why Ofcom quotes slightly longer real-world times (Ofcom, 2025).

Megabits versus megabytes explainedA visual explainer of the difference between megabits used for broadband speed and megabytes used for file sizes, showing that 100 Mbps equals about 12.5 MB per second. Megabits are not megabytes Speeds are in megabits, file sizes are in megabytes. We convert for you. 8 bits = 1 byte 100 Mbps = about 12.5 MB / second Your speed in megabits, divided by eight, is the megabytes you get each second. So a "100 Mbps" line is not 100 MB a second. A 1 GB file is 8,000 megabits, which is why speed and size never match at a glance.
Speeds are in megabits and file sizes in megabytes, and there are eight bits in a byte, so 100 Mbps is about 12.5 MB per second.

How long to download a film, album or game

A quick reference at two common speeds. Film sizes follow Netflix's data rates of about 3 GB per hour for HD and 7 GB per hour for 4K (Netflix, n.d.); game and backup sizes vary by title and phone.

How long common files take to downloadDownload times for everyday files from a 5 MB song to a 100 GB game, compared at a typical 67 Mbps line and on 900 Mbps full fibre. How long to download, at a glance A typical 67 Mbps line versus 900 Mbps full fibre FILE 67 MBPS LINE 900 MBPS FULL FIBRE A song5 MB1 secinstantPhoto album1 GB2 min9 secHD film6 GB12 min55 sec4K4K film14 GB28 min2 minA big game100 GB3 hr 20 min15 min
How long everyday downloads take, at a typical 67 Mbps line and on 900 Mbps full fibre.
What you are movingTypical sizeAt 67 MbpsOn 900 Mbps full fibre
A song5 MBabout 1 secinstant
A photo album1 GBabout 2 minabout 9 sec
An HD film6 GBabout 12 minabout 55 sec
A 4K film14 GBabout 28 minabout 2 min
A big game100 GBabout 3 hr 20 minabout 15 min

Do you actually need gigabit broadband?

Honestly, most households do not. Ofcom sets 10 Mbps download as the minimum for a decent connection, and a family of four streaming, gaming and working at once is comfortable well below gigabit (Ofcom, 2025). Faster speeds shine when you regularly move very large files, but for everyday use the difference between a strong mid-tier line and a gigabit one is often invisible. Before you pay for headroom you may never use, work out the right speed for your household and weigh up the sensible-speed deals. If you do move big files often, gigabit is genuinely worth it, and you can compare full fibre at your postcode.

Which broadband speed you actually needA guide to UK broadband speed tiers from Ofcom's 10 Mbps minimum to gigabit, mapping each to typical household use so you can choose the right speed rather than the fastest. Which speed do you actually need? Most UK homes sit comfortably in the middle Decent10 MbpsOne device, email, SD videoOfcom minimumSuperfast30 to 80 MbpsA couple streaming HD, video callsUltrafast100 to 500 MbpsA busy family: 4K, gaming and working at onceWhere most homes are happyGigabit900 Mbps and upVery large files often, many heavy users
Which speed you actually need: most UK homes are comfortable in the ultrafast middle, well below gigabit.
Why is my real download slower than the calculator says?

The calculator uses your full line speed. In real life, Wi-Fi, an older router, how busy the source server is, and normal network overheads shave a little off, so treat the result as a best case. A wired connection gets you closest to it. Ofcom's own figures allow for this real-world overhead (Ofcom, 2025).

Will faster broadband actually speed up my downloads?

Yes, almost in direct proportion, until something else becomes the limit. Doubling your speed roughly halves the time, until your Wi-Fi, your device or the server cannot keep up. Full fibre makes the biggest difference to large files like games and 4K films.

How long does it take to download a big game?

A 100 GB game takes roughly three and a half hours at 67 Mbps, but under 15 minutes at 900 Mbps. Modern games vary widely in size, from around 50 GB to well over 100 GB, so set the sliders to your own speed and enter the game's size for an exact time.

Is a megabyte the same as a megabit?

No, and it is the most common mix-up. File sizes are usually in megabytes or gigabytes, while broadband speed is in megabits. There are eight bits in a byte, so a 100 Mbps connection downloads about 12.5 megabytes each second, not 100. This calculator converts for you.

Do you need gigabit broadband to download quickly?

Not for everyday use. Ofcom sets 10 Mbps as the minimum for a decent connection, and most homes are comfortable well below gigabit. Gigabit shines when you regularly move very large files like games and 4K video.

References

  1. Ofcom. (2025). Connected Nations 2025: UK report. Ofcom. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/phones-and-broadband/coverage/connected-nations-2025/
  2. Netflix. (n.d.). How to control how much data Netflix uses. Netflix Help Center. https://help.netflix.com/en/node/87

Built and reviewed by the team at BroadbandSwitch.uk. Figures reviewed against Ofcom and Netflix sources; the tool estimates best-case times at your full line speed.