Embroidery File Format Compatibility — Every Format Explained
Which formats this converter reads and writes, and which one your machine needs
What this does: Embroidery format compatibility is a one-way street on most machines: each brand only opens its own format. This page lists the 9 formats ThreadShifter can convert to, the 41 formats it accepts as input, and which format each machine brand — Brother, Janome, Tajima, Pfaff, Singer and more — actually needs.
LAST_UPDATED: 2026-09-24
What an embroidery format actually is
An embroidery format is the file layout a machine uses to store a design. Unlike a JPG or a PNG, it does not hold a picture: it holds a list of needle positions, thread changes, trims and stops, measured in 0.1 mm steps. Because each manufacturer designed its own layout, and because industrial and home machines care about different things (colour changes vs. pure stitch data), a machine only opens the format its maker taught it to read. That is the whole compatibility problem, and it is why converting between formats — not redrawing the design — is normally all that is needed.
Formats you can convert to (9 output formats)
These are the formats ThreadShifter writes. Whatever you upload, you can download any of these back: .dst, .pes, .exp, .jef, .xxx, .vp3, .u01, .pec, .hus.
| Format | Name | Typical machines / vendors | Converts to |
|---|---|---|---|
| .dst | Tajima DST | Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Happy — commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pes | Brother PES | Brother, Baby Lock — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .exp | Melco EXP | Melco, Bernina — commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .jef | Janome JEF | Janome, Elna — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .xxx | Singer XXX | Singer Futura — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .vp3 | Pfaff VP3 | Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .u01 | Barudan U01 | Barudan — industrial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pec | Brother PEC | Older Brother machines (simplified PES) | All 9 outputs |
| .hus | Husqvarna Viking HUS | Husqvarna Viking (Rose, Iris, Scandinavia) | All 9 outputs |
Vendor names come from the converter's own format list. ThreadShifter converts between these formats only — it never turns an image into an embroidery file.
Every format you can convert from (41 accepted inputs)
All 41 formats below are accepted on upload, and every one of them converts to all 9 output formats. 32 of them are read-only in the engine (no writer exists for them), so they are inputs and never outputs: .sew, .jpx, .tap, .tbf, .dsb, .dat, .dsz, .zxy, .phb, .phc, .ksm, .pcs, .pcm, .pcd, .pcq, .max, .pmv, .emd, .exy, .shv, .mit, .spx, .stx, .stc, .a100, .a10o, .bro, .fxy, .gt, .new, .zhs, .inb.
| Format | Name | Typical machines / vendors | Converts to |
|---|---|---|---|
| .dst | Tajima DST | Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Happy — commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pes | Brother PES | Brother, Baby Lock — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .exp | Melco EXP | Melco, Bernina — commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .jef | Janome JEF | Janome, Elna — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .xxx | Singer XXX | Singer Futura — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .vp3 | Pfaff VP3 | Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking — home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .u01 | Barudan U01 | Barudan — industrial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pec | Brother PEC | Older Brother machines (simplified PES) | All 9 outputs |
| .hus | Husqvarna Viking HUS | Husqvarna Viking (Rose, Iris, Scandinavia) | All 9 outputs |
| .sew | Janome SEW | Janome home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .jpx | Janome JPX | Janome home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .tap | Tajima TAP | Tajima commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .tbf | Tajima TBF | Tajima commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .dsb | Barudan DSB | Barudan commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .dat | Barudan DAT | Barudan commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .dsz | ZSK DSZ | ZSK commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .zxy | ZSK ZXY | ZSK commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .phb | Brother PHB | Brother home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .phc | Brother PHC | Brother home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .ksm | Pfaff KSM | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pcs | Pfaff PCS | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pcm | Pfaff PCM | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pcd | Pfaff PCD | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pcq | Pfaff PCQ | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .max | Pfaff MAX | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .pmv | Pfaff PMV | Pfaff home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .emd | Elna EMD | Elna home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .exy | Elna EXY | Elna home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .shv | Husqvarna Viking SHV | Husqvarna Viking home machines | All 9 outputs |
| .mit | Mitsubishi MIT | Mitsubishi machines | All 9 outputs |
| .spx | Sperka SPX | Sperka commercial machines | All 9 outputs |
| .stx | STX embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .stc | STC embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .a100 | A100 embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .a10o | A10O embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .bro | BRO embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .fxy | FXY embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .gt | GT embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .new | NEW embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .zhs | ZHS embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
| .inb | INB embroidery format | Not attributed to a vendor in the converter's format list — treated as a generic input format | All 9 outputs |
A file is only read as the format its extension says it is, so keep the correct extension on upload. Where the converter's format list does not attribute a format to a vendor, the row says so rather than guessing.
Which format does my machine use?
- • Brother / Baby Lock → .PES (older Brother models use .PEC)
- • Tajima, Barudan and most commercial machines → .DST
- • Janome / Elna → .JEF (.SEW is a Janome format too, input only here)
- • Melco / Bernina → .EXP
- • Pfaff → .VP3 (.PCS and .KSM are older Pfaff formats, input only here)
- • Husqvarna Viking → .HUS (.SHV is an older Viking format, input only here)
- • Singer → .XXX
- • Wilcom native .EMB → NOT supported — ThreadShifter cannot read or write .EMB. Export a .DST or .EXP from Wilcom first, then convert it here.
Format questions, answered
What is a DST file?
DST is the embroidery format created by Tajima and the closest thing the industry has to a universal standard. It stores stitch coordinates only — where the needle goes — with no thread colour information, so almost every commercial machine can read it. Most digitising shops deliver DST files by default.
What is a PES file?
PES is Brother's native embroidery format, and Baby Lock home machines read it too. It carries the stitch data plus thread colours, design metadata and a preview image, which makes it the friendliest format for home machines. Older Brother machines use the simpler PEC format instead.
Can my machine open a different format?
Usually no. Each brand reads the format its manufacturer chose, so a Brother machine will not open a DST or JEF file directly, and a Tajima machine will not open a PES. Converting the file to your machine's format is the fix — the design does not need to be re-digitised.
How do I convert a file to my machine's format?
Upload the file to the ThreadShifter converter, choose the format your machine uses — PES for Brother, JEF for Janome, DST for Tajima and most commercial machines — and download the converted file. It is free, needs no account, runs in the browser, and files are processed in memory and never stored.
What this converter does not do
- • It does not digitise: it cannot turn a JPG, PNG, SVG or PDF into an embroidery file — that is a digitising job, not a conversion.
- • It does not read or write Wilcom .EMB files.
- • It does not store your designs: conversion happens in memory, with no account and no file retention.
Related pages
- • Free embroidery file converter — convert any of the 41 formats above into any of the 9 outputs.
- • The complete guide to embroidery file formats — what each format stores and why.
- • Embroidery hoop size calculator — check the design fits your hoop before you stitch.
- • DST to PES and PES to DST — the two conversions people need most.
Convert any supported format
41 inputs, 9 outputs, free and unlimited — no account, no software, nothing stored
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