Embroidery File Viewer
Upload a DST embroidery file to preview the stitch pattern, view design stats, and download as PNG or PDF. Everything runs in your browser — no files are uploaded.
Drop your DST file here
or click below to browse
Supports Tajima DST embroidery files
TL;DR
Machine-embroidery designs are saved as stitch files, not pictures — each file is a list of needle coordinates, jumps, and color-change commands. The catch is that the format usually tells you which machine brand it came from: DST is Tajima, PES is Brother, JEF is Janome, EXP is Melco, VP3 is Husqvarna/Viking and Pfaff, and XXX is Singer. This viewer opens DST files and shows you the stitch count and physical dimensions before you ever load the design onto a hoop. The format table below maps every common extension to its brand.
Embroidery file formats by machine brand
If someone hands you a design file, the extension is the fastest clue to which machine it was made for. Most home and commercial machines read a small set of formats, and a few — like Tajima's DST — are read by almost everything. Here is what each common extension maps to.
| Extension | Origin / machine brand | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| .dst | Tajima | The de facto industry exchange format; read by nearly every commercial machine. Stores stitches but not thread colors. |
| .pes | Brother (also Babylock, Bernina) | Common home-machine format; stores thread-color information. Wraps a .pec stitch block. |
| .jef / .jef+ | Janome (also Elna, Kenmore) | Native Janome home format. .jef+ is an editable variant from Janome software. |
| .exp | Melco / Bernina (Expanded) | A stitch-only "expanded" format; like DST it typically carries no color data. |
| .vp3 / .vip | Husqvarna Viking & Pfaff | VP3 is the newer of the two and stores color and other metadata; VIP is the older format. |
| .xxx | Singer | Singer's home-machine format (originally from Compucon). |
| .hus | Husqvarna Viking (older) | Earlier Viking format, largely superseded by VP3. |
| .sew | Janome / Elna (older) | Older Janome-family format predating JEF. |
| .pcs | Pfaff (older) | Legacy Pfaff format from the PC-Designer era. |
Brand associations reflect the format's origin. Many modern machines and conversion programs can read formats beyond their own brand — a Brother machine, for example, will usually also accept DST. Always check your specific machine's manual for the exact list it supports.
A stitch file is not an image
Opening an embroidery file in a normal image viewer fails because there are no pixels inside it. A DST file stores a stream of needle movements: each record is a small relative step in X and Y, plus flags that mark a jump (move without stitching) or a stop for a color change. The machine replays that stream to drive the needle and the hoop.
That design choice has two practical consequences this viewer reflects. First, dimensions are computed, not stored as a canvas size — the width and height come from the minimum and maximum coordinates the needle reaches, which is why a re-measured design can differ by a fraction of a millimeter from the digitizing software. Second, a plain DST carries no thread colors; the color blocks you see here are assigned in order from a standard palette so you can tell the segments apart, not read from the file. Formats like PES and VP3 do store colors, which is the main reason people prefer them for home machines.
What the stitch count tells you
Stitch count is the single most useful number in a design. It drives run time, thread usage, and commercial pricing (many shops charge per 1,000 stitches). The viewer shows the total stitches, jumps, and color changes so you can sanity-check a file before it goes on a machine.
These figures are rough planning estimates, not guarantees — machine speed, stabilizer, fabric, and trims all move the numbers:
| Stitch count | Rough run time at 700 spm | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| ~5,000 | ~7 min | Small left-chest logo, monogram |
| ~15,000 | ~21 min | Cap front, medium patch |
| ~30,000 | ~43 min | Large back design, detailed crest |
| ~60,000 | ~85 min | Full jacket back, dense artwork |
Run time assumes a steady 700 stitches per minute and ignores color-change stops, trims, and hooping. Real-world time is usually longer. A high jump or color-change count for the stitch total is a flag worth investigating before production.
What to do if your file is not a DST
This viewer reads Tajima DST files. If you have a PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, or XXX file, you have a few options before you can preview it here:
- Check the source. Most digitizers and design marketplaces deliver a zip with several formats inside. A DST is very often already in the bundle — look for it first.
- Export from your machine's software. Brother PE-Design, Janome Digitizer, Hatch, Wilcom, and Embird can all open their native format and save out a DST.
- Expect to lose thread colors on conversion. Converting a colored format (PES, VP3) to DST drops the color information, because DST has nowhere to store it. Keep the original file as your master.
Questions people ask about embroidery files
Which machine brand uses which file format?
DST originated with Tajima, PES with Brother, JEF with Janome, EXP with Melco, VP3 with Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff, and XXX with Singer. The format usually signals the machine it was made for, but many machines also read DST as a common exchange format. Use the table above to match any extension to its brand.
Why can't I open a DST file as an image?
A DST file contains no pixels — it stores a binary stream of needle coordinates, jumps, and color-change commands, not a picture. A normal image viewer has nothing to display. You need embroidery software or a stitch viewer like this one, which reconstructs the design by drawing each stitch on a canvas.
Why does a plain DST not show the real thread colors?
The DST format records where color changes happen but not which colors to use. This viewer assigns colors in order from a standard palette so you can tell the segments apart; they are placeholders, not the file's real thread list. Formats such as PES and VP3 do store color information, which is why they are preferred for home machines.
How are the design width and height calculated?
Dimensions come from the stitch coordinates themselves — the viewer tracks the minimum and maximum X and Y the needle reaches and reports the span in millimeters (1 DST unit = 0.1 mm). Because it is measured from the data, the result can differ by a fraction of a millimeter from the size shown in the original digitizing software.
Can I convert my PES or JEF file to DST to view it here?
Yes, using embroidery software such as Brother PE-Design, Janome Digitizer, Hatch, Wilcom, or Embird, which can open a native format and export a DST. Be aware that converting from a colored format to DST drops the thread colors, since DST has no place to store them — always keep the original as your master copy.
Are my embroidery files uploaded anywhere?
No. Parsing and rendering happen entirely in your browser — there is no server that receives the file. You can preview proprietary or client designs safely. You can confirm it yourself in DevTools → Network: opening a file triggers no upload request.