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Embroidery file formats by machine brand
Short answer: Brother and Baby Lock use PES. Janome uses JEF. Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff use VP3. Bernina machines read EXP. Singer uses XXX. Commercial multi-needle machines — Tajima, Ricoma, SWF, Happy and most others — use DST. When in doubt, check your machine manual's list of supported formats.
| Format | Brand | Machines |
|---|---|---|
| .DST | Tajima | Tajima and most commercial multi-needle machines (Ricoma, SWF, Happy, Barudan, Melco and others) |
| .PES | Brother | Brother and Baby Lock home and multi-needle machines |
| .PEC | Brother | Older Brother machines and cards; also stored inside every PES file |
| .JEF | Janome | Janome, Elna and other Janome-built machines |
| .EXP | Melco / Bernina | Melco commercial machines and many Bernina home machines |
| .VP3 | Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff | Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff machines |
| .HUS | Husqvarna Viking | Older Husqvarna Viking machines |
| .XXX | Singer | Singer computerised embroidery machines |
| .U01 | Barudan | Barudan commercial machines |
Stitch formats vs. working formats
The formats above are stitch files (also called machine or expanded files). They store the exact path of the needle: every stitch position, jump, trim and colour change. Your machine sews them as they are.
Digitizing programs also have working files — for example Wilcom EMB, Hatch EMB, Bernina ART, Brother PE-Design PEN or Embrilliance BE. These keep the original shapes, so a design can be resized and edited cleanly. Machines cannot read working files directly, and viewers like EmbroViewer read stitch files, not working files.
Which formats store thread colours?
- Store colours: PES, JEF, VP3, HUS, XXX — designs open in the intended colours.
- No colours: DST, EXP, U01 — only colour-change stops are stored, so colours appear arbitrary. A separate COL, EDR or INF file can carry the colours for a DST.
Can I convert between formats?
Yes, with embroidery software. Converting between stitch formats keeps every stitch but can lose colour information (for example PES → DST) or run into format limits such as maximum stitch length. Resizing a stitch file by more than about 10–20% is not recommended, because density does not adjust — resize the working file instead.
Check a file before you sew
You can open any of these formats in the free EmbroViewer to see the design, its exact size, stitch count and hoop fit before copying it to your machine.
Frequently asked questions
What embroidery format does a Brother machine use?
PES. Older Brother machines and memory cards also use PEC.
What format does Bernina use?
Bernina's own working format is ART, but Bernina machines read EXP stitch files, which is what most design shops provide for Bernina.
What is the most universal embroidery format?
DST. Almost every commercial machine and most home machines with multi-format support read it, though it does not store colours.
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Last updated 2026-09-30