Free Online Machine Embroidery Viewer (No Signup)
Also opens DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, IFC, SKP, STL, OBJ, GLB, FBX, 3DM and other 3D/CAD files. Drop any file on the viewer.
Works directly in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
Also from Innerscene: Circadian Lab, a free lighting calculator for room illuminance, melanopic EML, and glare.
What Is a Machine Embroidery File?
A machine embroidery file is a list of moves for the embroidery frame, in tenths of a millimetre. Each move is a stitch (the needle goes down and lays thread from the last point to this one), a jump (the frame moves with the needle up), a trim (the machine cuts the thread) or a colour change (the machine stops for the next thread). Digitizing software turns artwork into these moves; the machine only ever sees the moves.
Each machine brand has its own format. Tajima .dst is the commercial standard, with a text header and 3-byte stitch records. Brother .pes (and the bare .pec block inside it) is what Brother and Baby Lock home machines read. Janome .jef, Melco .exp and Pfaff/Husqvarna Viking .vp3 cover the other major machines. They differ in what they store about the threads: a .pes lists its threads with their colours, a .vp3 stores each thread’s RGB colour, .pec and .jef store an index into the manufacturer’s thread chart, and .dst and .exp store only where the colour changes happen, with no colours at all.
This viewer draws every stitch in sewing order as the thread lays it, about as wide as a 40-weight thread, with each thread on its own layer in its colour. Jumps and trims are not drawn, so what you see is what ends up on the fabric. The viewer reads these formats and exports the drawing as SVG, DXF, PDF or an image; it does not write embroidery machine formats.
Who Uses Machine Embroidery Files?
Home embroiderers with a Brother, Baby Lock, Janome, Pfaff or Husqvarna Viking machine; commercial embroidery shops running Tajima and Melco multi-needle machines; digitizers who create designs in Wilcom, Hatch, Brother PE-Design, Janome Digitizer, Embrilliance, Pfaff mySewnet or Ink/Stitch; people who buy designs online and download them as a zip of several machine formats; and customers approving a logo before it is stitched.
Common Use Cases
- See what a downloaded or purchased embroidery design looks like before loading it on the machine
- Check the stitch count, the number of threads and the design size in millimetres
- Read the thread colours and names a .pes, .jef or .vp3 file calls for
- Send a customer a PNG, JPG or PDF of a design for approval
- Open a .dst from an embroidery shop on a phone or a computer with no embroidery software
- Turn one thread off to see which parts of the design it sews
Features
Six Machine Formats
Tajima .dst, Brother .pes and .pec, Janome .jef, Melco .exp and Pfaff/Husqvarna Viking .vp3 all open as the same stitch drawing.
Every Stitch in Sewing Order
Each run of stitches is drawn the way the thread lays it, about as wide as a 40-weight thread, in the order the machine sews it.
Jumps and Trims Left Out
Frame moves with the needle up and thread cuts are not drawn, so the view shows what ends up on the fabric.
One Layer per Thread
Each colour block is its own layer, named after its thread when the file names it. Turn one off to see what that thread sews.
Real Thread Colours
Colours come from the thread list in a .pes, the thread records in a .vp3, or the Brother and Janome thread charts for .pec and .jef.
Stand-in Colours Marked
DST and EXP store no thread colours, so their threads get distinct stand-in colours and the status line says so.
Stitch Count and Size
The status line gives the stitch count, a swatch per thread in sewing order, and the design’s width and height in millimetres.
Light Threads Stay Visible
A design with white or cream thread is laid on dark fabric, or on mid-grey when it also uses near-black thread.
Recognised by Content
PES, PEC, VP3, DST and JEF files are identified by reading them, so a file with the wrong extension still opens.
Zipped Design Packs
Drop the .zip a design was sold in and one of the embroidery files inside opens, a .pes first when there is one.
Export to PDF, SVG, DXF, PNG, JPG
Save the design as an image or vector drawing for approval, printing or a catalogue page. Machine formats are not written.
Nothing Is Uploaded
The design is read and drawn entirely in your browser. No account, no upload, no copy of your design on a server.
Compatibility & Format Notes
Tajima .dst, Brother .pes (every version, through its PEC block) and .pec, Melco .exp, Janome .jef and Pfaff/Husqvarna Viking .vp3 are read. Thread colours come from the thread list a version 5 or later .pes stores, from the Brother or Janome thread chart for .pec and .jef (and for a .pes with no usable thread list), or from the thread records in a .vp3. A .dst has none unless the digitizer wrote the optional TC: thread lines in its header, and a .exp has none at all: those threads are drawn in stand-in colours, and the status line says so.
Files are recognised by their content where the format has a signature (#PES, #PEC, %vsm%, the DST text header, the JEF header layout), so a misnamed file still opens. A Melco .exp has no header and is opened by its name; a .exp whose bytes are not stitch data, such as a Windows linker file, is turned away with a notice. The stitch reader was checked against pyembroidery’s output stitch for stitch in all six formats.
A design with light thread (white, cream) is laid on dark fabric so it stays visible, or on mid-grey when it also has near-black thread. A file with no stitches the viewer can read gets a notice asking for a fresh export from the embroidery software.
Embed on Your Website
Add this viewer to your own site with a single line of HTML. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate an embed code, or use the snippet below with your own file URL.
Your Files Stay on Your Computer
Your Machine Embroidery files are parsed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored, or shared unless you explicitly click the Share button. Shared files are hosted for 90 days then deleted.
Frequently Asked Questions
▶Can I convert a .dst to .pes (or between other machine formats)?
Not here. The viewer reads .dst, .pes, .pec, .jef, .exp and .vp3, and its Export menu writes drawing and image formats (DXF, DWG, PDF, SVG, PNG, JPG), which embroidery machines do not sew. To move a design to another machine format, open it in embroidery software such as Embrilliance, Ink/Stitch, Hatch or your machine maker’s app and save it in the format your machine reads.
▶Why are the colours wrong in my .dst file?
A Tajima .dst records where the machine stops for the next thread, but not which thread it is, and a Melco .exp is the same. The viewer gives each thread a distinct stand-in colour so the colour blocks can be told apart, and the status line shows stand-in thread colours. Some digitizers add optional TC: thread lines to the .dst header, and when those are present the real colours are used. For true colours, open the .pes, .jef or .vp3 copy of the design if you have one.
▶What does the status line show?
The stitch count, the number of threads with a colour swatch for each one in sewing order (hover a swatch for the thread name, brand and catalogue number when the file gives them), and the design’s width and height in millimetres.
▶Why are the jump stitches not shown?
Jumps and trims are frame moves with the needle up, or cuts of the thread: nothing is sewn along them. Leaving them out shows the design as it will look on the fabric. The stitch counts on the status line count the stitches that are sewn.
▶Can I open a zip with the design in several formats?
Yes. Designs are often sold as a zip holding the same design as .pes, .dst, .jef and more. Drop the .zip on the viewer and it opens one of the embroidery files inside, in the order .pes, .dst, .jef, .vp3, .pec. A DXF or SVG in the same zip is opened ahead of the stitch files. A .exp inside a zip is left for you to open on its own, since .exp is also a common file in software archives.
▶Can I see one thread at a time?
Yes. Each thread is its own layer, named after the thread when the file names it (for example the Brother or Janome chart colour) and numbered in sewing order. Turn layers off in the Layers panel to see what each thread sews. Hidden layers are also left out of any export.
▶Is this Machine Embroidery viewer really free?
Yes, completely free. No signup, no watermarks, no file size limits on the viewer (the optional share-link feature has a 100 MB upload cap). Built by Innerscene as a tool for architects, engineers, and designers.
▶Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. All parsing, rendering, and conversion runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded, stored, or transmitted by default. The Share button is the only feature that uploads a file, and only when you explicitly click it.
▶Can I convert to another format?
Yes, to drawing and image formats. Click Export in the toolbar to save the stitches as DXF (each thread on its own layer), SVG, PDF (a snapshot of the view, or true vector linework), or a PNG or JPG image. DWG is also offered: that one is converted on our server from the DXF the viewer writes. The viewer does not write .dst, .pes or any other embroidery machine format.
▶Can I embed this viewer on my own site?
Yes. Click Embed in the toolbar to generate a one-line <iframe> snippet you can paste into any HTML page. You can choose whether the embed shows the viewer’s toolbar.
Tajima, Brother, Baby Lock, Janome, Melco, Pfaff and Husqvarna Viking are trademarks of their respective owners. Innerscene is not affiliated with any of them.