Embroidery file formats
Every embroidery machine reads a few specific file formats, and most brands have their own: PES for Brother and Baby Lock, JEF for Janome and Elna, EXP for BERNINA, VP3 for Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff, XXX or VP3 for Singer, and DST for commercial machines. Each format below has its own page: what it stores, which machines read it, its limits and how to open or convert it.
Every format at a glance
| Format | Used by | Thread colours | On Embroidly |
|---|---|---|---|
| PES | Brother, Baby Lock | Brother palette numbers, plus a thread table from version 5 | In every Embroidly download |
| DST | Tajima | None: machines use default colours | In every Embroidly download |
| JEF | Janome | Numbers from Janome's fixed thread palette | In every Embroidly download |
| EXP | Melco, Bernina | Not in the file: BERNINA keeps them in a separate INF | In every Embroidly download |
| VP3 | Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff | Colour values, thread brand, number and name | In every Embroidly download |
| XXX | Singer | Colour values in a table at the end of the file | In every Embroidly download |
| U01 | Barudan | None: needle numbers instead of colours | In every Embroidly download |
| PEC | Brother, Baby Lock | Numbers from Brother's 64-colour palette | In every Embroidly download |
| HUS | Husqvarna Viking | Numbers from a fixed Husqvarna palette | Opens in our viewer and converter |
| VIP | Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff | Unknown to free tools: they can't read VIP | Software file, not a machine file |
| PCS | Pfaff | Colour values in a short table at the start | Opens in our viewer and converter |
| SEW | Janome, Elna | Numbers from a fixed Janome thread palette | Opens in our viewer and converter |
| EMB | Wilcom | Design file: colours live with the objects | Software file, not a machine file |
| ART | Bernina | Design file: colours live with the objects | Software file, not a machine file |
Machine files and design files
The formats fall into two groups. Machine files list the stitches, jumps, trims and colour changes that a machine sews; everything you download to stitch belongs here. Design files are the working files of embroidery software, such as Wilcom's EMB and BERNINA's ART: they hold editable objects and have to be exported as a machine file before any machine can sew them.
Within the machine files, the biggest practical difference is what happens to the thread colours. Some formats store real colour values and even thread names (VP3, XXX, the thread table in PES), some store numbers from a brand palette (JEF, PEC, HUS, SEW), and some store no colours at all (DST, EXP, U01). The table above sums it up.
Choosing the right format
Look up the format list in your machine's manual and take the first format it names. Within one brand, models differ: some read fifteen formats, others a single one, such as the VP3-only Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff and Singer models. The file formats guide has a brand-by-brand table, and how to open embroidery files helps when a file won't show up.
Every design in our library comes in all eight machine formats we write, PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX, U01 and PEC, plus an all-formats ZIP with a colour sheet, in three natively digitized sizes. The free embroidery file viewer shows any file's real size, stitches and colours before you stitch, and the embroidery file converter moves designs between formats for free.
Free designs in every format
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All embroidery file formats
- PESIn every Embroidly downloadBrother and Baby Lock's format: stitches, a thread table and the preview pictures your machine shows on screen.
- DSTIn every Embroidly downloadTajima's format and the common language of commercial machines: stitches and trims, but no thread colours.
- JEFIn every Embroidly downloadJanome's default format, also used by Elna: stitches, Janome palette colours and the hoop the design was made for.
- EXPIn every Embroidly downloadMelco's expanded format, now BERNINA's machine format: stitches only, with colours and picture in companion files.
- VP3In every Embroidly downloadHusqvarna Viking and Pfaff's current format: stitches plus real colour values, thread brands and names.
- XXXIn every Embroidly downloadSinger's traditional embroidery format: stitches and real colour values for each thread.
- U01In every Embroidly downloadBarudan's commercial machine format: stitches, trims and a needle number for every colour change.
- PECIn every Embroidly downloadBrother's machine-level format and the core of every PES file: stitches, palette colours and preview icons.
- HUSOpens in our viewer and converterThe older Husqvarna Viking format: compressed stitch data and colours from a small Husqvarna palette.
- VIPSoftware file, not a machine fileAn older Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking format that free tools can't read: open it in brand or commercial software and save as VP3.
- PCSOpens in our viewer and converterPfaff's older machine format: a hoop code, a short colour table and the stitches. Superseded by VP3.
- SEWOpens in our viewer and converterThe older Janome, Elna and Kenmore format: Janome palette colours and the stitches. Superseded by JEF.
- EMBSoftware file, not a machine fileWilcom's and Hatch's native design file: editable objects, not stitches a machine can sew. Export a machine format.
- ARTSoftware file, not a machine fileBERNINA embroidery software's design file: editable, but not sewable. BERNINA machines sew the EXP it exports.
Popular conversions
Frequently asked questions
Which embroidery file format should I download?
The one your machine's manual lists first, which is usually its brand's own format: PES for Brother and Baby Lock, JEF for Janome and Elna, EXP for BERNINA, VP3 for Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff and newer Singer models. Commercial machines and embroidery shops use DST.
What is the difference between a machine file and a design file?
A machine file, such as PES or DST, lists the stitches and machine commands and is what your machine sews. A design file, such as Wilcom's EMB or BERNINA's ART, holds editable objects in the software that made it and can't be sewn until the software exports a machine file.
Can I convert any embroidery file into any other?
Machine files, mostly yes: our free converter reads about 40 formats and writes PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX, U01 and PEC. The stitches stay the same, but colours can be lost or approximated. VIP and design files such as EMB and ART need the software that reads them.
Sources
- Embroidery files (machine files and design files), Hatch Embroidery (Wilcom) (accessed Oct 3, 2026)
- Supported embroidery files, Hatch Embroidery (Wilcom) (accessed Oct 3, 2026)
- Supported machine file formats, Wilcom EmbroideryStudio (accessed Oct 3, 2026)
- pyembroidery (README and source), EmbroidePy (open source) (accessed Oct 3, 2026)