DST ⇄ PES Converter
Convert embroidery files between DST (Tajima) and PES (Brother / Babylock) in seconds. Everything happens in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Your file is converted locally in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
How it works
Convert a file in 3 steps
Choose your file
Pick a .dst or .pes file from your device. The converter detects the format automatically.
Pick the target format
Convert DST → PES to keep your colors on Brother/Babylock, or PES → DST for commercial machines.
Download the result
The converted file is generated in your browser instantly — download it and load it onto your machine.
Why
A converter that respects your files
DST ⇄ PES, both ways
Convert Tajima DST to Brother PES and back, with stitches, jumps and color changes preserved.
Private by design
Conversion runs entirely in your browser. Your file never leaves your device.
Instant & free
No upload, no login, no waiting — pick a file and download the converted result.
Free Online DST Viewer
Want to see a design before you convert it? Open any DST (Tajima) file with our free online viewer. It renders the stitches with a realistic, true-to-thread preview and shows the stitch count, color count, design size and an estimated machine runtime — right in your browser, with nothing to install and no login required.
Open the DST Viewer- True-to-thread stitch preview on real fabric backgrounds
- Stitch count, colors and exact design size in millimeters
- Stitch-by-stitch animation with estimated runtime
- Files are parsed locally — nothing is uploaded
- Opens in its real thread colors — PES stores the colorway
- Recolor any thread block to preview alternate combinations
- Stitch count, colors and exact design size in millimeters
- Files are parsed locally — nothing is uploaded
Free Online PES Viewer
Open any PES(Brother / Babylock) file with our free online viewer. Because PES stores the design's thread colors, it opens in its real colorway — and you can recolor any block, switch the simulated fabric and read the stitch count, colors and design size before you sew. All in your browser, free and with no login.
Open the PES ViewerDST vs PES
What's the difference between DST and PES?
Both store the stitches that drive an embroidery machine — the key difference is thread color and machine compatibility.
DST (Tajima)
- Stores stitches, jumps, trims and color-change stops.
- Does not store thread colors — the operator assigns them at the machine.
- The universal production format, read by almost every commercial machine.
- Best for the widest compatibility.
PES (Brother / Babylock)
- Wraps a PEC stitch block with jumps, trims and color changes.
- Storesthe design's thread colors, so it opens in its intended colorway.
- Native to Brother and Babylock home and semi-pro machines.
- Best for keeping your colors intact on those machines.
Converting DST → PES keeps the stitches but colors need reassigning; PES → DST keeps the stitches but drops the stored colors. Read the full DST vs PES guide
What is embroidery file conversion?
An embroidery machine can only sew a design if the file is in a format it understands. DST (Tajima) is the universal commercial standard, while PES is the native format for Brother and Babylock machines. Converting between them lets you take a design created or supplied in one format and sew it on a machine that expects the other — without re-digitizing anything.
Under the hood, both formats store the same core data: the stitch coordinates, jump stitches, trims and color-change stops that drive the needle. Our converter reads that stitch stream from your file and re-writes it into the target format, keeping the stitches identical so the design sews the same way. The one meaningful difference is color: DST does not store thread colors, so converting to DST drops the palette, while converting to PES lets the colorway travel with the design.
Because everything runs locally in your browser, conversion is instant and completely private — your file never leaves your device, which matters when you are handling client artwork or production designs. Whether you downloaded a DST and own a Brother machine, or received a PES and run a commercial Tajima head, converting takes a couple of seconds and needs no desktop software. Preview the result in the matching viewer to confirm the stitches and size are unchanged, and you are ready to sew.
Benefits
Why use our online converter
Fast, free and private — convert between DST and PES without re-digitizing or uploading a thing.
Instant, in your browser
Conversion happens locally in milliseconds — there is no upload queue, no processing wait and no software to install.
Free with no login
Convert as many files as you like without an account, a subscription or a watermark on the result.
Stitches stay intact
The stitch coordinates, jumps, trims and color stops are preserved, so the design sews the same after conversion.
Works on any device
The converter runs in the browser on desktop, tablet or phone — no plugins and no operating-system restrictions.
Keep colors when it matters
Converting to PES carries a thread palette, so your intended colorway travels with the design to Brother and Babylock machines.
Preview before you convert
Open the design in the DST or PES viewer first to confirm size, colors and stitch count, then convert with confidence.
Supported machines
Convert to the format your machine needs
DST and PES together cover virtually every home and commercial embroidery machine on the market.
Brother & Babylock
Convert to PES — the native format — so files load straight from USB or design card and keep their thread colors.
Tajima & commercial heads
Convert to DST, the universal commercial standard read by Tajima, Barudan, SWF, Ricoma and most multi-head machines.
Bernina, Janome & Pfaff
These machines widely read DST, and many import PES too — convert to whichever format your specific model prefers.
Other machines & software
Almost every embroidery machine and design program reads DST or PES, so a converted file will open on the vast majority of setups.
Common problems
Troubleshooting & tips
Quick answers to the issues people hit most when converting embroidery files.
My colors disappeared after converting to DST
This is expected. DST does not store thread colors, so converting PES → DST drops the palette. The stitches are intact — the operator reassigns colors at the machine, or you can keep a PES copy for reference.
The converted PES won't open on my machine
PES has several versions and an older machine may reject a newer one. If it fails, try opening the design in the viewer and check your machine's supported version, or fall back to DST which almost every machine reads.
My file won't convert
Make sure you selected a genuine .dst or .pes file and not a renamed or corrupt file. Re-export a clean file from your design software, then try the conversion again.
The design looks different after conversion
Stitches are preserved, but a colorless DST will display in a single flat color until you assign threads. Open the result in the matching viewer to confirm the stitches and size are unchanged.
I need a format other than DST or PES
This converter handles DST and PES. For EXP, JEF, VP3 and other formats, sign in to digitize or export designs from your EmbroidAI library.
Converter questions
It converts embroidery files between DST (the Tajima commercial format) and PES (the native Brother/Babylock format). The stitch coordinates, jumps, trims and color-change stops are preserved so the design sews the same, and everything runs in your browser.
Yes. Converting between DST and PES is completely free and does not require an account or a subscription, and there is no watermark on the converted file.
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser, so your file never leaves your device. Nothing is uploaded or stored, which keeps client and production designs private.
No. The stitch coordinates, jumps, trims and color stops are preserved during conversion, so the design sews the same. The main difference is that DST does not carry thread colors while PES does.
A DST file stores only stitches and color-change stops, not the actual thread colors. So converting PES → DST keeps the stitches but drops the stored colorway — the operator assigns colors at the machine. Converting DST → PES keeps the stitches, and you assign colors that then travel with the file.
Convert to PES if you sew on a Brother or Babylock machine and want to keep your thread colors. Convert to DST if you use a commercial Tajima-style machine or want the widest possible compatibility, since DST is the universal production format.
No. The converter is entirely browser-based and works on desktop, tablet and phone. There is nothing to download or install except the converted embroidery file.
Yes. Open your design in the free DST viewer or PES viewer to confirm its size, stitch count and colors, then come back and convert it to the format your machine needs.
This tool focuses on DST and PES, the two most widely used embroidery formats. For additional formats such as EXP, JEF and VP3, sign in to digitize and export designs from your EmbroidAI library.
Want to do more than convert?
Sign in to save designs to your library, digitize artwork with AI and export to DST, PES, EXP and JEF.