Free Embroidery File Converter (DST, PES, EXP)
Convert embroidery files between DST, PES and EXP for free, right in your browser. Drop in a file, check the preview and size, choose your machine's format, set thread colors if needed, and download. Nothing is uploaded. Conversion changes the file format, not the stitches, so a design that needs resizing or fixing should be edited first.
Your file never leaves your device. It's read and converted entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored or sent anywhere.
1 · Your file
3 · Thread colors
4 · Hoop check (optional)
Common hoop fields. Check your machine's manual for its exact sewing field.
5 · Convert & download
How to convert an embroidery file
- Add your stitch file. Drop a .dst, .pes or .exp file onto the drop zone, or click to browse (up to 20MB). It is read in your browser.
- Check the preview and size. Confirm the design, width and height, stitch count and color stops look right before converting.
- Choose the output format. Pick DST for Tajima and most commercial machines, PES for Brother and Baby Lock, or EXP for Melco and Bernina.
- Set thread colors if needed. For PES output, set each color stop. For DST or EXP output, download the color list, because those formats can't store colors.
- Check the hoop. Optionally pick a hoop field to see whether the design fits. The converter never resizes designs.
- Convert, check and download. The new file is read back in your browser and compared stitch by stitch with the original before the download button appears.
Which format does my machine use?
| Format | Typical machines | In this converter |
|---|---|---|
| DST | Tajima and most commercial multi-needle machines | Open and convert |
| PES | Brother and Baby Lock | Open and convert |
| EXP | Melco and Bernina | Open and convert |
| JEF | Janome | Not yet |
| VP3 | Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff | Not yet |
| XXX | Singer | Not yet |
Many machines read more than one format, so check your manual. For a fuller comparison, read our guide to embroidery file formats. Every PlixaLabs digitizing order includes all machine formats.
What changes when you convert (and what doesn't)
| Part of the design | What happens |
|---|---|
| Stitch positions | Copied exactly, in 0.1 mm steps. The round-trip check confirms every position. |
| Very long stitches | Split into shorter stitches along the same line if they exceed the format's limit (12.1 mm in DST, 12.7 mm in EXP). |
| Jumps and trims | DST marks a trim as a run of three or more jumps, EXP has its own trim code and PES flags each move as a jump or a trim. The converter translates between these, but a machine may still interpret them slightly differently. |
| Color changes | Kept in the same order. |
| Thread colors | Not stored in DST or EXP. PES stores the nearest of Brother's 64 built-in thread colors. |
| Size, density, underlay | Unchanged. Nothing is recalculated, which is why converting can't fix a file that sews badly. |
About PES output: the PES files written here are version 1 files containing the PEC stitch section that Brother and Baby Lock machines read. They don't include the editable object data that PE-Design adds, so treat them as stitch files rather than editable designs. Converted files haven't been tested on every machine model. Format handling follows the open descriptions documented by the pyembroidery project (MIT licence).
Why colors change after converting
A DST or EXP file only records where the machine stops to change thread. It never says which thread. When you open one in any software, the colors you see are placeholders. That's why the converter lets you set each color stop before writing a PES, and why you can download a color list to keep the sequence with a DST or EXP.
PES files store a color index from Brother's built-in thread chart rather than an exact color, so your chosen color is saved as the nearest match and the machine may show that thread's name. Always load the real thread colors on the machine.
Convert, resize or re‑digitize?
- Convert when the design already sews well and your machine simply needs a different format.
- Resize a little (roughly 10% either way) in your embroidery software if it recalculates stitches. Bigger changes alter density and stitch lengths.
- Re-digitize or fix when the design puckers, has gaps, breaks thread, has far too many trims, or needs a very different size or fabric. We fix or rebuild files, quoted after a free file check.
Converting an image instead?
A JPG, PNG or PDF logo isn't a stitch file, so it can't be converted here. It has to be digitized: every stitch path, stitch type, density and underlay is planned for the fabric. Read how to convert an image to an embroidery file, check your artwork with the image-to-embroidery checker, or get it digitized.
File converter FAQ
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Brand names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used only to describe file compatibility. PlixaLabs is a trading name of Zorixo Ventures, LLC (USA) and Zorixo Ventures Ltd (England & Wales, Co. No. 15975548).
Need a file that sews right? First design free.
Hand-digitized by the PlixaLabs digitizing team, digitizing since 2015. Flat price per design, set by complexity: see the price list. Every order includes all machine formats. Standard turnaround 4–8 hours, 24/7.