Supported formats
Know what opens.Know what writes.
Embroidery formats do not carry the same colour, trim or machine metadata. This reference separates readable sources from validated outputs and names the common machine families for each writable format.
One design.
More machines.
Move embroidery designs between home and commercial machine formats without rebuilding them from scratch. Read 21 formats and write 18: PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX, PEC, U01, TBF, HUS, SEW, SHV, PCS, VIP, TAP, DSB, DSZ and KSM. PHB, PHC and PCM are accepted as sources only because reliable open-source writers are not available.
- ✓Preserve design dimensions
- ✓Retain supported stitch sequence and stops
- ✓Flag format limitations before export
Format compatibility matrix
Inputs, outputs and machine families.
Machine support names common ecosystems, not every model. Confirm your machine manual and test stitch unfamiliar designs.
| Format | Viewer | Read | Write | Common machine support | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PES | Open PES | Yes | Yes | Brother · Baby Lock | A full-featured machine file with stitches and thread information. |
| DST | Open DST | Yes | Yes | Tajima · commercial | A widely supported production stitch format for commercial machines. |
| JEF | Open JEF | Yes | Yes | Janome | A Janome-compatible machine format with stitch and colour data. |
| EXP | Open EXP | Yes | Yes | Melco · Bernina | A compact Melco-style stitch format used by many production systems. |
| VP3 | Open VP3 | Yes | Yes | Husqvarna Viking · Pfaff | A modern Viking and Pfaff format with richer thread information. |
| XXX | Open XXX | Yes | Yes | Singer · Compucon | A Singer and Compucon-compatible embroidery machine format. |
| PEC | Open PEC | Yes | Yes | Brother · Baby Lock | A Brother-compatible stitch format used inside many PES workflows. |
| U01 | Open U01 | Yes | Yes | Barudan | A Barudan machine format with stitch and machine-command data. |
| TBF | Open TBF | Yes | Yes | Tajima | A Tajima stitch format with thread and production information. |
| HUS | Open HUS | Yes | Yes | Husqvarna Viking | A Husqvarna Viking format with a fixed thread-colour palette. |
| SEW | Open SEW | Yes | Yes | Janome · Elna | A legacy Janome Memory Craft embroidery format. |
| SHV | Open SHV | Yes | Yes | Husqvarna Viking | A Viking Designer format for legacy embroidery workflows. |
| PCS | Open PCS | Yes | Yes | Pfaff | A Pfaff Creative format for legacy machine compatibility. |
| VIP | Open VIP | Yes | Yes | Husqvarna Viking · Pfaff | A Viking and Pfaff format for legacy embroidery software. |
| TAP | Open TAP | Yes | Yes | Happy · commercial | A compact stitch format with colour-change stop support. |
| DSB | Open DSB | Yes | Yes | Barudan | A Barudan stitch format for compatible production machines. |
| DSZ | Open DSZ | Yes | Yes | ZSK | A ZSK stitch format for compatible production machines. |
| KSM | Open KSM | Yes | Yes | Pfaff | A legacy machine format that stores needle-change commands. |
| PHB | Open PHB | Yes | Input only | Legacy source workflows | A readable legacy embroidery source format; validated output writing is not available. |
| PHC | Open PHC | Yes | Input only | Legacy source workflows | A readable legacy embroidery source format; validated output writing is not available. |
| PCM | Open PCM | Yes | Input only | Legacy source workflows | A readable legacy embroidery source format; validated output writing is not available. |
EMB, ART, JAN, JEF+ and JPX are not advertised as outputs. They are proprietary or editable project formats that the current production engine cannot safely create and validate.
Ready when your file is
Choose the format your machine expects.
The converter auto-detects a supported source and prevents choosing the same detected format as the output.