It can be frustrating to discover that your embroidery machine won’t read your USB. Whether your USB is one you have used frequently or a brand new one, realize that USBs do fail. It can be difficult to decide if the problem is an embroidery machine problem, an embroidery design file download problem, or a USB problem.
To double check to see if the problem is with the design or with the USB, try loading an embroidery design that you previously stitched out successfully. Re-download the old design to the USB you are currently using. If the embroidery machine can read that design, then the problem is likely not with the USB. It is time to check the embroidery file or the embroidery machine’s settings.
Common problems to check:
Your USB has too large a memory. The smaller the USB the better. Each machine has an upper limit of what size it will recognize. Try to get under 16GB, and even smaller is better.
Only put the design you want to currently use on the USB.
Embroidery machines have problems reading too many files on a USB.
Some embroidery machines require you to put the embroidery file into the correct folder on a USB. (Janome uses a special folder on the USB.)
Make sure the file is unzipped. Your embroidery machine can’t read a zipped file.
Make sure your file is in the correct format. Brother and Baby Lock machines use PES format, as an example.
If your format isn’t recognized, then try DST format. Most embroidery machines also read DST format files.
Check your file size. If the file is too large, the embroidery machine may not be able to read it. Your manual should include the maximum file size allowed for your embroidery machine.
Make sure that your design will fit inside your machine’s maximum hoop size. Sometimes you may need to shrink the design a few millimeters even though the design is made for your hoop size, as the embroidery machine thinks the design is too close to the hoop’s edges.
Make sure that the design is rotated the correct way to fit inside the correct hoop.
Make sure that you center your needle in your hoop using your machine’s automatic centering button. If the design is not centered, the embroidery machine may not read the design.
Redownload the design. A faulty download can corrupt the embroidery design. (It is always a good idea to have 2 copies of all embroidery designs for this reason.)
If the old USB still doesn’t work, then try reformatting the USB. You can reformat the USB on your embroidery machine or on a computer.
Swap to a different brand USB. Not all USBs are compatible with all machines.