What is the PES file format?
The .pes file format is used by computer-aided embroidery software created by Brother Industries. .pes files store color palette data, pattern instructions, and operational commands for embroidery machines, including start, stop, and trim stitch commands.
Every .pes file opens with the ASCII magic bytes #PES at byte offset 0, followed by a 4-character version code - for example, #PES0001 (v1) through #PES0100 (v10/v11). The version is significant: older machines will often reject a newer .pes version and refuse to load the design. Internally, the file wraps a .PEC block containing the low-level stitch commands, along with an embedded monochrome thumbnail preview of the embroidery.
.pes files are generated by the PE-Design software tool available for select Brother sewing machines. The .pes standard is also recognized by machines from other manufacturers, for example Babylock and Bernina. Third-party tools such as Embird and Ink/Stitch can open and convert .pes designs as well.
A .pes file contains stitch instructions encoded as relative coordinates that are interpreted by the embroidery machine to sew the design onto a given surface. The format also supports color-change commands so the machine pauses and prompts the operator to swap thread before continuing. Designs are frequently converted from .DST or other embroidery formats, or digitized from vector artwork, before being saved as .pes.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWA PES file is passive stitch data - it contains no executable code, so opening one is safe. The real-world cautions are practical, not security: stitching a design that is too large for your hoop, or a PES version your machine doesn't support, can fail or damage the work - always check size and version first. Free 'PES to image' or 'photo to PES' web converters often disappoint (auto-digitizing is low quality); and only download designs from reputable embroidery sites. As always, confirm a file's real extension if it arrives from an untrusted source.
Format details
in a nutshellFULL NAMEBrother/Babylock PES Embroidery File
DEVELOPERBrother Industries (PE-Design / Brother-Babylock-Bernina ecosystem)since 1990s (Brother PE-Design); PES versions through v1-v11
CATEGORYMisc Files
MIME TYPEapplication/octet-stream
TYPEBinary machine-embroidery design (stitch data + colors + embedded preview)
MAGIC BYTES · FILE SIGNATURE
OFFSET
00010203
HEX
23504553
ASCII
#PES
A PES file begins with the ASCII tag "#PES" at offset 0, immediately followed by a 4-character version code such as "0001", "0040", "0060", "0100" (PES v1 … v10/ v11). The PES wrapper embeds a PEC block (the actual low-level stitch commands, tagged "#PEC") plus an embedded thumbnail/preview. The version matters: older machines reject newer PES versions, a common 'won't read' cause.
Programs that open PES files
Windows6 apps
Wilcom TrueSizer
Free Free desktop tool - open the .pes to view, resize, recolor and convert between formats (PES/DST/EXP/JEF/HUS). The best free all-rounder.
Ink/Stitch (Inkscape extension)
Open-source Free/open-source digitizing + format tool inside Inkscape - open, edit and export PES; can digitize artwork into stitches.
Brother PE-Design
Paid The native Brother software that creates PES - full digitizing/editing and save to any PES version.
Embird
Paid Popular modular embroidery suite - open, edit, resize and convert PES (Embird + Studio for digitizing).
SewWhat-Pro / SewWhat!
Paid View, edit, resize, merge and convert PES and dozens of formats (SewWhat! is a free read-only viewer; SewWhat-Pro edits).
Janome Digitizer / BERNINA ArtLink (brand tools)
Freemium Brand embroidery utilities can open/convert PES (BERNINA ArtLink is a free viewer/converter). Use the tool matching your machine ecosystem. 
macOS3 apps
Wilcom TrueSizer Web
Free Browser version of TrueSizer for macOS - open and view/convert PES without installing Windows software.
Convert It, Mac (BriTon Leap)
Paid Mac embroidery viewer/converter - open and convert PES and other formats. 
Linux1 app
Ink/Stitch (Inkscape)
Open-source Free Inkscape extension on Linux - open, edit and export PES; the main Linux option.
Web2 apps
Wilcom TrueSizer Web
Free Upload a .pes in the browser to view stitches, colors, size and convert - no install.
My Editor / online PES viewers
Free Several free web PES viewers render the design and show stitch/color counts for a quick check before sewing. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Binary machine-embroidery design (stitch data, color table, embedded preview) |
| Magic bytes | `#PES` (hex 23 50 45 53) at byte offset 0, immediately followed by a 4-character version code |
| Version encoding | 4-character ASCII string after `#PES`; e.g., `0001` = v1, `0060` = v6, `0100` = v10/v11 |
| Internal PEC block | Each `.pes` file embeds a `#PEC`-tagged low-level stitch-command block; the PES header stores the byte offset to it |
| Embedded thumbnail | 1-bit monochrome bitmap thumbnail (typically 48×38 px) stored in the PES header for on-screen design preview |
| Stitch coordinate encoding | Relative 12-bit signed offsets in 3-byte PEC records; unit is 0.1 mm (10 units = 1 mm) |
| Control commands | Dedicated PEC record codes for `jump`, `trim`, `color-change`, and `end`, embedded among stitch records |
| Thread color storage | Indexed 1-byte entries referencing Brother's proprietary thread color palette; one entry per color-change |
| Endianness | Little-endian binary throughout the file |
| Design bounding box | PES header stores design width and height in 0.1 mm units, used by the machine for hoop placement |
| MIME type | `application/octet-stream` (no registered embroidery-specific MIME subtype) |
| Cross-brand compatibility | Native to Brother and Babylock machines; also accepted by many Bernina embroidery systems |
| Version compatibility risk | Machines reject `.pes` files with a higher version than they support; save at the lowest version the design allows |
| Typical file size | A few kilobytes to roughly 300 KB, depending on stitch count and embedded thumbnail dimensions |
| Released | 1990s (Brother PE-Design); PES versions through v1-v11 |
PES conversions
Possible
.PES .JEFGUIDE
Yes - open the PES in Wilcom TrueSizer (free) and export as JEF.
How to convert
.PES .DSTGUIDE
Yes - open the PES in Wilcom TrueSizer (free) and export as DST in under a minute.
How to convert
.PES .PDFGUIDE
Yes, you can export a PES design to PDF -- the fastest way is to open the file in Wilcom TrueSizer (free) and…
How to convert
.PES .EXPGUIDE
Yes, PES converts to EXP - open the file in Wilcom TrueSizer (free) and export as EXP.
How to convert
.PES .PECGUIDE
Yes, PES can be saved as PEC - the PEC stitch block is already embedded inside every PES file, and embroidery…
How to convert
.PES .JPGGUIDE
Yes - open the PES in Wilcom TrueSizer (free) and export the design view as a JPG.
How to convert
.PES .VP3GUIDE
Yes - open the PES in Wilcom TrueSizer (free) and save it as VP3.
How to convert
Not possible
Community Q&A
asked by users
J
Frequently asked questions
How do I open a PES file to see the design?
Use a free viewer: Wilcom TrueSizer (desktop or web) or an online PES viewer shows the design, size, stitch count and thread colors. Free Ink/Stitch (in Inkscape) also opens PES. You don't need the machine to preview it.
How do I get a PES design onto my Brother embroidery machine?
Copy the .pes file to a USB stick (or send it via the machine's transfer software), insert it into the machine, and select the design. Check that it fits your hoop and that the machine supports that PES version.
How do I convert a PES file to DST (or another format)?
Open it in embroidery software like Wilcom TrueSizer (free), Ink/Stitch, Embird or SewWhat-Pro and export/save as DST/JEF/VP3/EXP etc. Note color info is lost when converting to DST, which has no native colors.
Can I convert a JPG/PNG photo into a PES file?
Not by a simple converter. Turning an image into stitches is 'digitizing' - a skilled manual process in software like Ink/Stitch or Brother PE-Design. Automatic photo-to-PES tools exist but usually give poor stitch quality.
Why won't my machine read the PES file?
Usually a version or size mismatch: an older machine may reject a newer PES version, or the design is bigger than your hoop. Use software to save the design down to an older PES version and resize it to fit.
Is there free software to edit PES files?
Yes - Wilcom TrueSizer (free, resize/recolor/convert) and Ink/Stitch (free/open-source, full editing and digitizing inside Inkscape). For brand-native editing, Brother PE-Design is the paid option.
References
1Wilcom TrueSizer - free embroidery viewer/converterwww.wilcom.com
2Ink/Stitch - free open-source machine embroidery (Inkscape)inkstitch.org
