.PES: Brother Embroidery Format

Extension

.pes

File type

Stitch (machine) file

Used by

Brother, Baby Lock, some Bernette models

Market

home

Thread colors

Full colors

Status

current

How it works

A PES file is really two parts. The PES section holds design information written by Brother's software, such as hoop, object data and thread colors. Inside it sits a PEC section, which carries the actual stitch data and small monochrome thumbnails that the machine shows on its screen.

PES has gone through many versions as Brother's PE-Design software evolved. Newer versions store thread brand, code and RGB color for every block, while very old machines can only read early versions. Most software lets you choose which PES version to save.

Older Brother machines that read memory cards use PEC data directly, which is why PEC also exists as its own file type.

What the file stores

• Stitches, jumps and trims
• Thread colors (RGB and thread chart codes)
• Hoop and design size
• Machine screen thumbnails

Watch out for

• Save the PES version your machine supports; a file that is too new may not open.
• Colors are shown using Brother's thread palette on many machines, so on-screen colors can differ from your threads.

Machines that read .PES

• Brother (native format)
• Baby Lock (native format)

Support differs between models and generations, so always confirm in your machine's manual.

Related formats

• .PEC: Brother PEC
• .DST: Tajima Data Stitch
• .JEF: Janome Embroidery Format

Need this design in another format? Read converting between formats to learn what survives a conversion.