Embroidery file formats and which one your machine needs
Every machine brand has its own format. Find yours below, or drop any embroidery file here to see what it is.
Drop an embroidery file here
DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, HUS, XXX, PEC or U01
Or try a sample: , ,
Your file stays on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
The short answer
Use the format made for your machine brand. When you buy a design you usually get a .zip with every format inside; copy only the one your machine reads.
| Machine | File it needs |
|---|---|
| Brother home machines (SE, PE, NQ, Innov-is, Luminaire, Stellaire) | PESSome recent models also accept DST |
| Baby Lock | PES |
| Brother and Baby Lock multi-needle (PR series) | PES or DST |
| Janome, Elna | JEF |
| Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff | VP3Older Viking machines: HUS or VIP |
| Singer | XXX |
| Bernina | EXP |
| Melco | EXP or DST |
| Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Happy, Ricoma, ZSK and most commercial machines | DSTBarudan also uses U01 |
All the formats we open
| Format | Machines | Keeps colours? | Convert to it here? |
|---|---|---|---|
| .dst | Tajima and most commercial multi-needle machines | No | Yes |
| .pes | Brother, Baby Lock | Yes, exact colours | Yes |
| .pec | Brother, Baby Lock (older machines and cards) | Brand thread chart | Open only |
| .jef | Janome, Elna | Brand thread chart | Yes |
| .exp | Melco, Bernina | No | Yes |
| .vp3 | Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking | Yes, exact colours | Yes |
| .hus | Husqvarna Viking (older machines) | Brand thread chart | Open only |
| .xxx | Singer, Compucon | Yes, exact colours | Yes |
| .u01 | Barudan commercial machines | No | Open only |
DST: Tajima DST
Tajima's format and the one nearly every commercial machine reads. It stores stitches, jumps and colour stops, but no colours, and writes trims as a run of jumps. More about DST files.
PES: Brother PES
Brother's format, also used by Baby Lock. It stores stitches, Brother thread numbers, a small preview for the machine screen and, in newer versions, exact colours. More about PES files.
PEC: Brother PEC
The machine-readable part of a PES file on its own, used by older Brother machines and embroidery cards. It stores colours as Brother thread chart numbers. Most people never need a PEC file; use PES.
JEF: Janome JEF
Janome's format, also used by Elna. Colours are stored as Janome thread numbers, so converting into JEF picks the nearest Janome thread. The file also records which Janome hoop the design is set up for.
EXP: Melco EXP
Melco's format, also the one Bernina machines read. Like DST it stores no colours, only where to stop for the next one.
VP3: Pfaff / Viking VP3
The current format for Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking machines (both made by the same group). It keeps exact colours and thread details.
HUS: Husqvarna HUS
The older Husqvarna Viking format, from before VP3. It stores colours as Viking thread numbers and compresses the stitch data. Newer Viking machines read VP3, so convert HUS to VP3 for them.
XXX: Singer XXX
Singer's format, originally from Compucon software. It keeps exact colours.
U01: Barudan U01
Barudan's machine format. It stores needle numbers instead of colours, so it says which needle sews each part, not what thread is on it.
Stitch files and working files
Every format above is a stitch file: the finished needle positions, ready for a machine. The digitiser who made the design worked in a working file that keeps the shapes, fill types and lettering, such as EMB (Wilcom and Hatch), PXF (Pulse), BE (Embrilliance) or ART (Bernina).
This is why:
- Converting between stitch formats is safe: the stitches are copied as they are.
- Resizing a stitch file more than about 10% goes wrong: the machine keeps the same number of stitches in a smaller or bigger space. Ask the digitiser for the size you need.
- You can't convert a stitch file back into a working file. Changing the lettering in a DST means re-digitising it.
How to tell which format a file is
Look at the extension at the end of the file name, such as .dst or .pes. If your computer hides extensions, drop the file on the tool above: it tells you the format, size and stitch count, even if the file was renamed.
Questions
What is the most common embroidery file format?
DST, because almost every commercial machine reads it. For home machines, PES is the most common, because Brother sells the most home embroidery machines.
Which embroidery format keeps colours?
PES, VP3 and XXX keep exact colours. JEF, HUS and PEC keep colours as numbers in the brand's thread chart. DST, EXP and U01 store no colours.
Can I convert any format to any other?
Here you can open DST, PES, PEC, JEF, EXP, VP3, HUS, XXX and U01 files and convert them to DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3 or XXX. The stitches carry over exactly.
Is an SVG or PNG an embroidery file?
No. Images and vector files have to be digitised, which means planning every stitch, before a machine can sew them. Converting the file type isn't enough.
Do I need embroidery software to change formats?
No. The converter on this site runs in your browser and handles the common machine formats for free.
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