Unzip2Stitch — made for the embroidery community
Free Embroidery Software for DST Files: Open, Organize & Convert Your Designs
DST is the universal embroidery format — the one almost every machine can read, and the format most commercial and multi‑needle machines prefer. If you’ve got a pile of DST files to open, keep organized, or convert, here are the honest free options — and the easy one you can start using today.
Runs on Windows 11, 10 & 7 and Mac (Apple Silicon) · free to start · no trial clock
First, a quick word about DST
The DST (Tajima) format is the closest thing embroidery has to a universal file — commercial, multi‑needle and industrial machines run on it, and nearly every machine can stitch it. The one quirk to know: a DST file carries only the stitches, not the thread colors. That’s normal — you pick your colors at the machine or in software. For viewing, organizing and converting your DST files, you don’t need to spend a fortune. Here’s the real list.
The free options, compared
Wilcom TrueSizer
A free tool for opening, resizing and converting embroidery files, including DST. Handy for a quick view or a format change; it isn’t built to manage a whole library of designs you own.
Ink/Stitch
Free and open‑source, mainly for digitizing (turning artwork into stitches) and exporting to formats like DST. Powerful and completely free, with a real learning curve — best if you enjoy a technical workflow.
My Editor
A free viewer for opening and lightly modifying embroidery files, including DST. Good for a quick look; not a full library or conversion tool.
Unzip2Stitch Start here
Find, organize and letter — free to start, on Windows and Mac. Gather the stitch‑file alphabets you already own into one font library, type names and words with them, and save straight to DST (and other machine formats). No trial clock, nothing expires — and it’s built to be easy: a helper, not a hoop to jump through.
Free types with the stitch‑file alphabets you own and saves to DST. Opening your designs and exporting them to any format — the full “converter” — is the paid Creator upgrade when you’re ready.
Converting to and from DST
Need a design that’s a PES or JEF turned into a DST for your commercial machine — or the other way around? The free Font Tool saves your lettering straight to DST. For your own designs, the full Unzip2Stitch Studio opens them and exports to any machine format, DST included — so one app both organizes your files and converts them when you need it.
Which one is right for you?
- Want to see, organize and letter your DST files, and save to DST? Start with the free Unzip2Stitch Font Tool.
- Just need a quick one‑off format change? Wilcom TrueSizer or My Editor will view it.
- Want to digitize artwork from scratch? Try Ink/Stitch.
- Need a design professionally made and delivered in DST? See below.
Need it hand‑digitized?
If you need a logo or artwork turned into a clean, machine‑ready stitch file — delivered in DST or any format — we hand‑digitize it for you, from $25, ready the next business day. Order digitizing →
Common questions
- Is there free software to open DST files?
- Yes. The free Unzip2Stitch Font Tool, My Editor and Wilcom TrueSizer all open DST files. Unzip2Stitch also gathers them into one library so you can find them again.
- Why does my DST file have no colors?
- That’s normal — the DST format stores only the stitches and needle stops, not thread colors. You choose the colors yourself at the machine or in your software.
- How do I convert a design to DST for free?
- The free Unzip2Stitch Font Tool saves your lettering straight to DST. To convert your own full designs to DST, the Unzip2Stitch Studio opens them and exports to any machine format.
- Does it work on Windows 11 and Windows 7?
- Yes — the free Unzip2Stitch Font Tool runs on Windows 11, 10 and 7, and on Mac (Apple Silicon).
Windows & Mac (Apple Silicon) · made by an embroiderer, for the embroidery community