Why won't my embroidery machine read my design file? 9 fixes

You've downloaded a design, copied it to a USB stick, and the machine either doesn't list it or says it can't open it. It's almost always one of a handful of causes, and most take a minute to fix.

1. The file is still inside the ZIP

Downloads usually come as a ZIP. Machines can't open ZIP files, so a stick with only the ZIP on it looks empty to the machine. Unzip it on your computer first ("Extract all" on Windows, a double-click on a Mac), then copy the design file itself.

2. It's the wrong format for your machine

Each brand reads its own format: PES for Brother and Baby Lock, JEF for Janome, VP3 for Husqvarna Viking and some Singer models, EXP for BERNINA, DST for commercial multi-needle machines. A machine skips files it can't read. Check your manual, or see embroidery file formats. If you only have the wrong format, our free embroidery file converter changes it.

3. The design is bigger than your hoop

Many machines hide or refuse designs larger than their largest embroidery field. A 6 × 10 design won't open on a 4 × 4 machine. Use the size made for your hoop; which design size fits your machine lists the common models.

4. The USB stick is too big or formatted wrong

Many home machines only read small sticks formatted as FAT32 (or FAT16 on older models), and some don't read sticks above a certain size. If the machine doesn't react to the stick at all, try a small, plain stick, or reformat a spare one as FAT32 on your computer (formatting erases it).

5. The file is buried in folders

Some machines only look at the top level of the stick, or only a few folders deep. Copy the design straight onto the stick, not inside several folders.

6. Too many files on the stick

A stick full of hundreds of designs can be slow to list or show only some of them. Keep just the designs you're stitching this week on it.

7. The file name is too long or has odd characters

Older machines can choke on long names, accents, emoji or symbols. Rename the file to something short with plain letters and numbers, like bee5x7.pes, keeping the extension.

8. The download is incomplete

If the download was interrupted, the file can be damaged. Download it again. You can check any file in our free embroidery file viewer: if it shows the stitches there, the file itself is fine.

9. The machine needs a firmware update

Some machines get updates that add formats or fix USB problems. The maker's support site lists the current version for your model and how to install it.

Still stuck?

Open the file in the embroidery file viewer to see its size, stitch count and colours, then compare the size with your hoop. If it opens there but not on your machine, the cause is almost always the format, the size or the stick.

Our designs come with every format (PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3 and XXX) in every size, plus an instruction sheet, so you can pick the exact file your machine reads. Need your own logo or drawing as a file? Your first custom design is free, up to 4 in, and after that each one is $10 at any size.