An embroidery file is not a picture. It is a list of instructions for your machine: where the needle goes next, when to jump, when to trim and when to stop for a new color. Each machine brand reads its own set of formats, so the right one depends on your machine, not on the design.
The short answer: Brother and Baby Lock use PES, Janome uses JEF, Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff use VP3, most current Bernina embroidery machines read EXP, the Singer Futura line uses XXX, and commercial machines such as Tajima read DST. If you're not sure, download every format at once and start with the one your manual lists first.
What an embroidery file actually contains
A machine file stores the design as stitches. Each record is a small move of the needle, usually in steps of 0.1 mm, plus commands for jumps, trims and color changes. That is why you can't rename a JPG to .pes and expect it to sew: the stitches have to be planned first. That planning is called digitizing.
Software such as Bernina's or Wilcom's also saves a separate working file (ART or EMB) that keeps the shapes, so the design can be edited and resized cleanly. Your machine doesn't need that file. It only needs the stitch file in a format it reads.
The formats differ in what else they carry. Some store the actual thread colors and names, some only mark where the color changes, and some add a preview image or hoop information. The stitches themselves are the same idea everywhere.
Embroidery file formats compared
| Format | Made by | Main machines | Stores thread colors | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DST | Tajima | Tajima, Melco and most other commercial multi-needle machines; some home machines | No | Single stitches up to 12.1 mm; the format most shops exchange |
| PES | Brother | Brother and Baby Lock home machines | Yes | Contains a PEC block with Brother palette colors and the on-screen thumbnail |
| PEC | Brother | Older Brother and Baby Lock models | Palette numbers only | The machine part of a PES file, saved on its own |
| JEF | Janome | Janome and Elna home machines | Yes (Janome palette) | Also records the smallest standard Janome hoop the design fits |
| EXP | Melco | Melco commercial machines; most current Bernina embroidery machines | No | Bernina's USB version adds a separate .INF file with colors |
| VP3 | Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff | Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff, plus mySewnet software | Yes (exact color and name) | Successor to the older HUS and VIP formats |
| XXX | Singer / Compucon | Singer Futura and other Compucon-based Singer machines | Yes | Newer Singer models vary, so check the manual |
| U01 | Barudan | Barudan commercial machines | No (needle changes) | One of Barudan's numbered U-formats |
| TBF | Tajima | Some newer Tajima machines | Needle and thread info | Use it only if your machine lists it; otherwise use DST |
The digitizer writes every format in this table, plus a PNG preview, SVG stitch paths and a TXT color sheet. PES files are written as version 6.
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DST vs PES: which should you use?
If you own a Brother or Baby Lock machine, use PES. It carries the thread colors, so the machine screen shows your design in the right colors and lists each thread change. Many Brother models also read DST, but a DST design shows up in default colors and you have to work out the thread order yourself.
Use DST when the file is going to a commercial multi-needle machine or to an embroidery shop. Shops expect it because almost every commercial machine and every embroidery program opens it. DST doesn't store colors, so send the color sheet and a preview image with it.
- Home machine, one brand: use that brand's native format (PES, JEF, VP3, EXP or XXX).
- Commercial machine or shop: use DST, plus the color sheet.
- Not sure yet: download the ZIP with every format and keep it with your design.
Already have a file in the wrong format? Convert PES to DST or go the other way with DST to PES.
When you email a design to an embroidery shop, attach three files: the DST, the TXT color sheet and the PNG preview. That answers the three questions they'll ask.
How to choose the right format for your machine
- Find the USB or embroidery data section of your machine's manual. It lists the file types the machine opens, often as extensions such as .pes, .jef or .dst.
- Pick the brand's native format first. It is the one the machine shows correctly on screen.
- If the machine lists several formats, choose one that stores thread colors (PES, JEF, VP3, XXX) over one that doesn't (DST, EXP).
- Check the size limit. A file can be valid and still refuse to load if it is bigger than the largest hoop your machine accepts.
- Keep the ZIP with every format. If you change machines or send the design to someone else, you won't have to convert again.
The machine pages list the native format, transfer options and hoop sizes for each major brand.
Converting between embroidery formats
Converting one machine format to another keeps every stitch. What can change is the extra information. Going from DST to PES, there are no colors to carry over, so the converter has to assign threads. Going from PES to DST, the colors are dropped, so keep a note of them.
Formats also have different limits. DST allows single stitches up to 12.1 mm, while JEF and EXP allow 12.7 mm. A good converter splits longer moves into shorter jumps so the file stays valid.
- Use the embroidery file converter to change PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3 and XXX files into each other in your browser.
- Open the result in the embroidery file viewer to check the size, colors and stitch count before you sew.
- Common pairs have their own pages, such as DST to JEF and VP3 to PES.
Converting a format is not the same as resizing. A stitch file keeps the same number of stitches when you scale it, so it gets denser when shrunk and sparser when enlarged. Small changes of around 10% are usually fine. For bigger changes, digitize again from the original artwork, for example with PNG to DST.
ART, HUS, VIP, PCS and other formats
You will come across more formats than the ones above. This tool doesn't write them, but it helps to know what they are.
- ART: Bernina's embroidery software format. Bernina machines themselves read EXP.
- HUS: an early Husqvarna Viking format, which many Viking and Pfaff machines can still read.
- VIP: the format that followed HUS after Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff merged.
- PCS: an older Pfaff format.
- EMB: Wilcom's working file, used by many professional digitizers. It is not a machine file.
If your machine only reads one of these, open a format your software imports (DST or VP3 usually work) and save from there.
When the machine won't show your file
- Wrong format: the machine simply hides files it can't read. Check the extension against the manual.
- Too big for the hoop: many machines refuse designs larger than their biggest hoop. Check with the hoop size calculator.
- USB stick problems: many machines only read small sticks formatted as FAT32, and some only look in the top folder.
- Very old machine: some older models only read older versions of their format. Try the older variant (PEC for Brother) or DST.