{"id":2636,"date":"2025-07-31T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/?post_type=knowledge-base&#038;p=2636"},"modified":"2025-10-21T11:20:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T11:20:09","slug":"how-to-open-designs-5-ways-to-import-embroidery-and-artwork-files","status":"publish","type":"knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/how-to-open-designs-5-ways-to-import-embroidery-and-artwork-files\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Open Designs: 5 Ways to Import Embroidery and Artwork Files"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide outlines the various methods you can use to open native <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/understanding-file-formats-draw-vs-embroidery-machine-files\/\">.DRAW files<\/a>, as well as import other supported embroidery and artwork file types into your workspace.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_95716\"  width=\"1290\" height=\"725\"  data-origwidth=\"1290\" data-origheight=\"725\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/A74oRRJJ0ww?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"YouTube player\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/A74oRRJJ0ww\/maxresdefault.jpg\" title=\"\"><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Part 1: Methods for Opening a Design<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can initiate the &#8220;Open&#8221; command in several different ways, allowing you to choose the method that best fits your workflow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>From the Welcome Screen:<\/strong> When you first launch DRAWings PRO XII, the Welcome tab is displayed.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Click the <strong>&#8220;Open design&#8221;<\/strong> option to launch the file browser.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Alternatively, to open a project you have recently worked on, simply select it from the <strong>&#8220;Recent designs&#8221;<\/strong> list.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Using the Toolbar Icon:<\/strong> Click the <strong>&#8220;Open&#8221;<\/strong> icon, which is located in the main toolbar at the top of your workspace.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>With a Keyboard Shortcut:<\/strong> This is one of the fastest methods.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For Windows users: Press <strong>Control<\/strong> \u2018+\u2018 <strong>O<\/strong> (the letter &#8216;O&#8217;).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For macOS users: Press <strong>Command<\/strong> \u2018+\u2018 <strong>O<\/strong> (the letter &#8216;O&#8217;).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Drag and Drop:<\/strong>\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Locate your design file on your computer using File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click and drag the file directly onto the <strong>design tabs area<\/strong> within the DRAWings PRO XII workspace. The software will automatically open or import it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>From the File Menu:<\/strong>\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Navigate to the top menu bar.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Click on <strong>File<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select the <strong>Open&#8230;<\/strong> option from the dropdown menu.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Part 2: Using the &#8216;Open&#8217; File Browser<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Regardless of the method you choose, the &#8220;Open&#8221; file browser dialog will appear. This window allows you to navigate the folders and locations on your computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Viewing Supported Files:<\/strong> By default, the browser is filtered to only show file types that DRAWings PRO XII can open. You will not see unsupported files (e.g., documents, spreadsheets) in this view.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Previewing Designs:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Many design files will show a small thumbnail preview automatically.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tip:<\/strong> If a file does not have an automatic thumbnail, simply click on its name once. A larger preview will be generated in the preview pane of the dialog box, allowing you to see the design before you open it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Part 3: How to Filter for Specific File Types<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To find your desired file more easily, you can use the file type filter, which is a dropdown list located at the bottom of the browser dialog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>To view all supported image files:<\/strong> Select <strong>&#8220;All artwork&#8221;<\/strong> from the list. This is useful for importing files like .JPEG, .PNG, .BMP, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To view all supported embroidery files:<\/strong> Select <strong>&#8220;All embroidery&#8221;<\/strong> from the list. This will show machine formats like .JEF, .PES, .DST, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>To view a specific file type:<\/strong> You can also narrow the results to a single format. For example:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Select <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/understanding-file-formats-draw-vs-embroidery-machine-files\/\">DRAW files<\/a> (.draw)<\/strong> to see only the native, fully editable project files for the software.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select <strong>JEF files (.jef)<\/strong> to see only that specific embroidery format.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Select <strong>JPEG images (.jpg)<\/strong> to find an image you wish to use as a backdrop or for auto-tracing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> When you open a non-native file, such as an embroidery format or an image, it will be imported into a new, unsaved DRAWings design. Opening a .JPEG or other image file will prompt a dialog with options for how the image should be handled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guide outlines the various methods you can use to open native .DRAW files, as well as import other supported embroidery and artwork file types into your workspace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2637,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":""},"categories-kb":[333],"class_list":["post-2636","knowledge-base","type-knowledge-base","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-kb-how-to-training"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"categories-kb":[{"value":333,"label":"How to Training"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-to-open-designs-5-ways-to-im-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"DRAWings Embroidery Software","author_link":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/author\/drawings\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledge-base\/2636","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledge-base"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/knowledge-base"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2636"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categories-kb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-kb?post=2636"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}