File formats

The 12 embroidery file formats Lilo writes (all but G-code it also reads), and which machines use each one.

Lilo writes 12 embroidery formats and reads 11 of them. The list is built from the app's own format table.

A format is the file type your machine understands. Brother and Baby Lock machines use PES. Most commercial machines use DST. If you are not sure, check your machine manual or the type of file it already sews.

Extension	Name	Lilo	Keeps thread colours?	Used by
.pes	Brother PES	Read and write	Yes	Brother, Baby Lock, Bernina (reads)
.pec	Brother PEC	Read and write	Yes	Brother, Baby Lock
.dst	Tajima DST	Read and write	No	Tajima, Barudan, Ricoma, Melco, SWF, Happy, ZSK, Toyota, Janome MB-7, Brother, Baby Lock
.exp	Melco EXP	Read and write	No	Melco, Bernina
.jef	Janome JEF	Read and write	Yes	Janome, Elna (some)
.vp3	Pfaff/Viking VP3	Read and write	Yes	Pfaff, Husqvarna Viking
.xxx	Singer XXX	Read and write	Yes	Singer, Compucon
.u01	Barudan U01	Read and write	No	Barudan
.hus	Husqvarna Viking HUS	Read and write	Yes	Husqvarna Viking
.vip	Pfaff/Viking VIP	Read and write	Yes	Husqvarna Viking, Pfaff
.tbf	Tajima TBF	Read and write	Yes	Tajima
.gcode	G-code (stitch path)	Write only	No	CNC and plotter tools

Keeps thread colours matters when you send a file. Formats without colours still sew in the right order. They just show you "colour 1, colour 2" instead of real thread names. See Choosing a format.

Machine compatibility#

The research behind Lilo covers 17 brands, 66 machines and 44 thread brands. No machine has been tested on real hardware beyond one pending Brother run, so treat every machine as "should work" until you have sewn one design. The full tables are in compatibility.md in the docs folder.