diff --git a/README.client b/README.client
index b5840ad0c143661886b1d01f1ee12c8ba1987247..14af8396d8e8024991f8736eadf83c0b6e48d54e 100644
--- a/README.client
+++ b/README.client
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ Arguments for running computations:
 
 Arguments for controlling computations:
     --usage           show resource usage of all running computations
-    --limitmem MAXMEM change the maximum memory consumed by all computations
+    --limitmem MAXMEM set the maximum memory consumed by all computations [MiB]
     --list            list all running computations
     --stop PGRP       stop a given computation (number as listed in --list)
     --stopall         stop all running computations
@@ -43,5 +43,5 @@ Examples
     compctl --run ./satsolver data.sat | tee results.txt
     compctl --screen autotest-screen 5
 
-    compctl --limitmem 4G
+    compctl --limitmem 4096
     compctl --stop 27134
diff --git a/compctl.c b/compctl.c
index 9151ea5460705c8a133f2ed8d681e7dc1079f01c..557125790e7cc38184454f6f3ad58b27785330f0 100644
--- a/compctl.c
+++ b/compctl.c
@@ -151,7 +151,8 @@ stop_all(void)
 void
 limit_mem(size_t limit)
 {
-	char cmd[256]; snprintf(cmd, sizeof(cmd), "limitmem %zu", limit);
+	char cmd[256];
+	snprintf(cmd, sizeof(cmd), "limitmem %zu", limit * 1048576);
 	char *line = daemon_chat(cmd);
 	if (line[0] != '1') {
 		/* TODO: Error message postprocessing. */