How to transfer embroidery designs to your machine (USB and Wi-Fi)

You bought a design, the download finished, and now you have a zip file on your computer and a machine across the room. Getting the two together is simple once you know the rules your machine follows, and most failed transfers come down to one of a few small mistakes.

This guide walks through preparing the file, then the three main transfer methods: USB, Brother’s Design Database Transfer software and the Artspira app. Brother is covered in the most detail because most beginner machines in our machine database are Brother, but the preparation steps apply to every brand.

Step 1: Unzip the download

A zip file is a container, not a design. Brother lists zipped files as one of the reasons a machine shows “pattern cannot be used,” and says files must be unzipped before transfer.

• Windows: right-click the zip and choose Extract All.
• Mac: double-click the zip and Finder extracts it into a folder.
• Phone or tablet: most file apps can extract zips, but it’s easier to do this on a computer.

Keep the original zip somewhere safe. If you ever edit or rename the wrong file, you can extract a fresh copy.

Step 2: Pick the right format

Inside the folder you’ll usually find the same design in several formats. Choose the one your machine reads natively:

Machine	File to pick
Brother and Baby Lock	.pes (Brother also lists .dst, .phc and .pen)
Janome	.jef
Singer SE9180	.vp3 only, per Singer’s manual
bernette 70 DECO / 79	.pes, .vp3 or others bernette lists

If you aren’t sure, see embroidery file formats explained. For Brother owners deciding between PES and DST, pick PES. PES vs DST files explains why DST shows a default color sequence.

Step 3: Pick the right size

Many design folders contain subfolders for each hoop size. Pick the one that fits your machine’s embroidery field:

• 4 × 4 Brother models (PE545, SE700, SE630, PP1): up to 100 × 100 mm.
• 5 × 7 Brother models (PE900, SE2000): up to 130 × 180 mm.
• 6 × 10 Brother models (NQ1700E, NQ3550W): up to 160 × 260 mm.

Brother lists a design that exceeds the hoop size or embroidery area as a reason a file won’t load. If the listing gives dimensions in inches or millimeters, check them with the hoop fit checker, which also tests whether rotating the design helps.

Step 4: Check the file name

Brother recommends using only the 26 letters of the alphabet (upper and lowercase), the numbers 0–9, the dash and the underscore in file names. Spaces, accents, apostrophes and symbols can stop a file from being recognized.

Rename long or fancy names to something short like owl_5x7.pes. Change only the part before the dot. Changing the extension (for example, .dst to .pes) doesn’t convert the file and will break it.

Method 1: Transfer by USB flash drive

USB is the one method that works on nearly every machine in our database, including models without Wi-Fi such as the Brother SE630, the Janome Memory Craft models and the bernette 70 DECO and 79.

1. Use a supported drive. Brother warns that commercial USB flash drives may not all be compatible, and points you to the USB media list for your model. Check your manual before buying one.
2. Copy the file to the root of the drive. Brother says that if embroidery data is saved in a folder on USB media, the machine can’t retrieve it. Drag the .pes file itself onto the drive, not the folder it came in.
3. Keep the drive tidy. Brother lists too many designs on the USB media as a possible cause of read errors. A dedicated embroidery stick with a handful of designs is easier to manage.
4. Eject the drive properly from your computer before you unplug it.
5. Attach the embroidery unit first if your machine has a removable one. Brother lists “embroidery unit not attached” as a reason a design can’t be transferred.
6. Plug the drive into the machine, open the USB or memory screen, and select the design.
7. Check the preview for size, orientation and the number of color stops before you hoop.

Some machines can also connect to a computer by USB cable. If you use a cable and the machine stops responding, Brother suggests rebooting the machine and reconnecting the cable.

Method 2: Brother Design Database Transfer (Wi-Fi models)

Brother’s Wi-Fi models can receive designs from a computer without a USB stick. On the PE900 page, Brother says that when connected to a wireless network, the machine lets you send files from your PC through the free Design Database Transfer software, “no USB required.” Brother’s pages for the PE545, SE700, SE2000, NQ1700E and NQ3550W describe the same feature.

What you need to know:

• Windows only. Brother lists Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (32 or 64 bit) and Windows 11, and says Mac isn’t supported.
• Wireless machines only. Brother says it works only with wireless LAN-compatible embroidery machines, with the computer and machine both on the network.
• Formats. It transfers .pes, .phc, .phx, .dst and .pen files. Its thumbnail viewer can also display .exp, .pcs, .hus, .vip, .shv, .jef, .sew, .csd and .xxx files, but those can’t be sent to the machine.

The basic flow is: connect the machine to your Wi-Fi from its settings screen, install Design Database Transfer on your PC, browse to the unzipped design and send it. Follow the setup steps in your machine’s manual, since menu names differ between models.

Method 3: The Artspira app

Artspira is Brother’s phone and tablet app. Brother says it has embroidery patterns you can download, plus a drawing tool for making line-art designs, and that you can transfer them wirelessly to Wi-Fi models such as the PE900 and SE2000. Brother’s FAQ says the free version includes unlimited transfers. Artspira+ is a paid monthly or annual subscription that adds tools such as photo digitizing and importing designs; check Brother’s site for the current price.

Machines in our database that Brother lists with Artspira:

Machine	Field	Transfer options
Brother PE545	4 × 4	USB, Wi-Fi, Artspira
Brother SE700	4 × 4	USB, Wi-Fi, Artspira
Brother PE900	5 × 7	USB, Wi-Fi, Artspira
Brother SE2000	5 × 7	USB, Wi-Fi, Artspira
Brother NQ1700E	6 × 10	USB, Wi-Fi, Artspira
Brother NQ3550W	6 × 10	USB, Wi-Fi, Artspira
Brother PP1 (Skitch)	4 × 4	Artspira only (Bluetooth LE)

The PP1 is different

The Brother PP1 (Skitch) has no screen. Brother states that Artspira is required to use the machine, and the manual lists Bluetooth LE as its interface. Every design goes through the app. Before you buy one, make sure your phone or tablet is supported by Artspira and that you’re comfortable doing all your editing there.

Non-Brother machines

• Janome Memory Craft 400E and 9850: USB. Download JEF files.
• bernette 70 DECO and 79: USB. bernette lists many formats, including PES and VP3.
• Singer SE9180: USB, and only VP3 files per the manual. Singer’s own pages conflict on whether it has Wi-Fi, so don’t plan on wireless transfer until you confirm it with the seller.

Firmware updates use USB too

Even on Wi-Fi machines, keep a USB drive handy. Brother’s PE900 page says a USB drive is required to update the firmware, and the PE900’s 50 free downloadable designs need firmware version 1.51 or above plus the Artspira app. An out-of-date machine is one more reason a transfer can fail, so check Brother’s support site for updates when you first set up.

When the transfer fails

If the machine doesn’t show the design, or shows an error, run through this short list:

• Is the file unzipped and in your machine’s format?
• Is it in the root of the drive, not a folder?
• Does the name use only letters, numbers, dashes and underscores?
• Does it fit your embroidery field?
• Is the embroidery unit attached?
• Does a different design on the same drive load? If so, the problem is probably the file, and Brother suggests contacting the design’s seller.

Brother also lists stitch-count limits and unrecognized saved hoop settings as causes. Those take a closer look, so we cover them step by step in why your embroidery machine won’t read a PES file.

Once the design is on the machine, the next step is hooping and stitching. See how to use an embroidery machine and how to hoop fabric for machine embroidery.