Valet™ FAQs

Overview of FOREVER® Valet™

Q1: What is FOREVER Valet?

A: FOREVER Valet is a desktop application that FOREVER clients can use to upload large numbers of files from another source to their FOREVER Storage® Account. With FOREVER Valet you can:

• Maintain your original file structure when uploading to your FOREVER Account.
• Keep your FOREVER organization when downloading from your FOREVER Account.
• Create (or add files to) year and month Albums during upload.
• Create (or add files to) year and month folders during download.
• Organize by year (date taken) during uploading and downloading.
• Manage (upload to or download from) multiple FOREVER Accounts. (Professional only)

 

Q2: Why do I need Valet?

A: You need Valet because:

• You are new to FOREVER and looking for a fast and easy way to upload all of your files.
• You have a lot of files to upload to your FOREVER Storage Account.
• You are a FOREVER Ambassador and need a fast and easy way to upload for yourself and your clients.
• You are a Photo Manager and need a fast and easy way to upload files for your clients.
• You need a quick, easy method for uploading photos from your computer to your / your clients' FOREVER Storage Accounts.*

*Upload speed is still dependent on the speed of your internet connection.

 

Q3: Is there a free or trial version of Valet?

A: Yes, we offer a 60-day free trial version. Go to www.forever.com/valet and click on the button labeled "60-DAY FREE TRIAL!" to get access to this version. With the 60-Day Free Trial you can upload an unlimited amount of content and organization. You will need to purchase an Individual or Professional license if you wish to download files and organization.

 

Q4: How many times can I get a Trial version?

A: You are eligible for one (1) Trial version of Valet. Once it has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to continue using Valet. If you had a paid subscription and chose to cancel rather than renew, you will not be eligible for a Trial version at that time.

 

Q5: How do I purchase Valet?

A: Go to the Valet marketing page of our website, www.forever.com/valet for all the details, including the link to purchase the subscription level you choose. 

 

Q6: How many computers can I install Valet on?

A: You can install FOREVER Valet on an unlimited number of computers.

If you have a Trial version or Individual Subscription, each computer will need to connect to the same FOREVER Account that is connected to the Trial version or purchase the Individual subscription.

If you have a Professional Subscription, you will be able to access multiple FOREVER Storage Accounts (either from the same or from different computers). Details on this can be found in the section of this document titled "Professional Version of Valet."

 

Q7: What file types can I upload through FOREVER Valet™?

A: Since Valet connects to your FOREVER Storage Account, you can upload all the file types that FOREVER accepts. Those files types are:

• Photos & Documents: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .tiff, .tif, .webp, .pdf
• Videos: .mp4, .avi, .mov, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .mkv, .m4v, .mts, .m2ts
• Audio: .mp3, .m4a, .wma, .ra, .mka, .ac3, .aac, .ogg, .flac, .wav, .amr

 

Q8: Do I need an internet connection to use Valet?

A: Yes, you do. Since Valet connects to your FOREVER Storage Account, which is a web-based account, you will need to be connected to the internet whenever you wish to use Valet.

 

Q9: How do I connect Valet to my FOREVER Account?

A: Once you purchase a trial version or a subscription, download FOREVER Valet from your Account > Downloads, install Valet as you would any software program, then open Valet. The software will present a window where you can enter the email and password for the FOREVER Account you used to purchase the subscription, verify your purchase, and open so you can begin uploading your files where they will be safe and secure.

 

Q10: How many FOREVER Storage Accounts can I connect to Valet?

A: If you have a Trial version or an Individual subscription, you can only use Valet to access the FOREVER Account that you used to obtain Valet.

If you have a Professional subscription, you can access any accounts for which you are the Account Manager. You can also sign out of one account and sign into another that you have login information for as long as both accounts have a Valet subscription (or active trial version).

There is no limit to the number of Accounts you can manage when you have a Professional subscription.

 

Q11: Where can I find the version number for Valet?

A: After Valet opens, click on your Profile Picture in the upper right of the window. You will see a drop-down menu; select "About" in the drop-down menu. When the About window displays, you will see the version number in the lower left corner along with Valet's update status.

 

Q12: Can I use Club Dollars to pay for my Valet Subscription?

A: Yes, you can! You can use your Club5 discount and/or Club Dollars to purchase a yearly Valet subscription - and to pay for the subscription from year to year.

 

Q13: Does my paid subscription automatically renew from year to year?

A: Yes. We will send you an email 30 days before your renewal date as a reminder that we will be renewing your annual subscription. You must cancel the subscription before your renewal date to prevent the charge from hitting your credit card.

 

Q14: How do I change my Valet subscription?

A: There are three options for changing your Valet subscription:

• Upgrading from a Trial version to either an Individual or Professional subscription
• Upgrading from an Individual to a Professional subscription
• Downgrading from a Professional to an Individual subscription

To upgrade from a Trial to an Individual or Professional subscription:

1. Close Valet.
2. Login to your account at www.forever.com.
3. Go to the Valet page (www.forever.com/valet)
4. Click on the "Buy Now" button for the subscription you wish to purchase.
5. Complete the purchase.
6. Open Valet. It will recognize that you purchased a yearly subscription and you will no longer see any information about your trial period. To verify this, go to the About window; you will see your subscription level under "Current Plan."

To upgrade from an Individual to a Professional subscription:

1. Close Valet.
2. Login to your account at www.forever.com.
3. Go to the Valet page (www.forever.com/valet)
4. Click on the "Buy Now" button for a Professional subscription.
5. Complete the purchase.
6. Open Valet. It will recognize that you purchased a Professional yearly subscription and allow you to access multiple FOREVER Storage Accounts. To verify this, go to the About window; you will see your subscription level under "Current Plan."

To downgrade from a Professional to an Individual subscription:

1. Close Valet.
2. Login to your account at www.forever.com
3. Go to the Account > Recurring Payments page.
4. Cancel your Professional subscription.*
5. Go to the Valet page (www.forever.com/valet).
6. Click on the "Buy Now" button for an Individual subscription.
7. Complete the purchase.
8. Open Valet.

*You will continue to have a Professional subscription until your year expires. Then the Individual subscription you purchased will remain. You should cancel your Professional subscription as close to your subscription's expiration date as possible. You may wish to wait until it expires before purchasing an Individual subscription.

 

Q15: Why didn't my subscription renew? I did not cancel it.

A: If the credit card you have associated with your subscription payment has expired, we are not able to renew your subscription. You should have received an email from "support@forever.com" alerting you that the payment method needs updated. If you need help with this process, please reach out to FOREVER Support at support@forever.com or 1-888-FOREVER (1-888-367-3837) and someone will be happy to help you.

 

Q16: Can I cancel my subscription?

A: Yes, you can. You will still have access to Valet until your current subscription expires, but the subscription will not automatically renew, and you will no longer be able to use Valet (unless you re-subscribe) once you reach the renewal date.

You can go to your Account Settings > Recurring Payments to cancel at any time.

 

Uploading with Valet

Q17: How do I upload my photos via Valet?

A: Once you have installed a Trial version or subscription and logged into Valet (with the same FOREVER Account that you used to obtain your trial or subscription), follow these steps:

1. Click on the "Upload" button near the top right of the Valet window.
2. Choose the files/folder you want to upload.
3. Choose your other upload options.
4. Click the "Upload" button.
5. Follow the progress of your upload in the Activity Window*

*You may close the Activity window while the upload is in progress; this will not interrupt or cancel the upload, and you will get a message in the bottom right of the main screen when the upload is complete.

 

Q18: Is there a limit to the number of files I can upload via Valet?

A: With the Full Access release of Valet on May 25, 2023, you can now upload files up to 50 GB via Valet! (Remember that upload performance is always dependent on the internet connection speed at your location.)

 

Q19: How will my uploaded files be organized in my FOREVER Account?

A: You have three options when uploading files to your FOREVER Account:

• Create Albums and nested Albums in FOREVER that correspond to the folders and sub-folders on your computer.
• Create Albums for each Year and nested Albums for each Month that correspond with the Date Taken of the files you are uploading.
• Upload the files directly to your Gallery without any additional organization.

 

Q20: I got a message that some of my files were skipped during upload. Why would this happen?

A: Files can be skipped during upload for two reasons:

• The skipped files are already in your FOREVER Account.*
• Files that you selected are not acceptable file types in FOREVER.**

    *Notes:

1. Valet automatically de-dupes files during upload.
2. Changing the name of the file will not cause Valet to mark the file as "new."

    **See "What file types can I upload through FOREVER Valet™" in the "Overview" section of these FAQs.

 

Q21: I got a message that some of my files failed to upload. Why would this happen?

A: Files could fail to upload for these reasons:

• You do not have enough space in your Storage Account for all the files you selected.
• Something happened during upload that Valet did not expect.
• The file may be corrupt.

 

Q22: Can I upload photos that I airdrop from another Apple device to my Mac?

A: We do not recommend this. Using the Airdrop tool from Apple can change the name of your files. It often adds non-alpha, non-numeric characters that FOREVER doesn't recognize. This will result in errors when you try to upload these files to FOREVER (through Valet or directly to your Account). If you download the free FOREVER mobile app for iPhone, you will be able to easily upload your iPhone photos directly to your FOREVER Account.

 

Downloading with Valet

Q23: How do I download my photos via Valet?

A: Once you have purchased a subscription and logged into Valet (with the same FOREVER Account that you used to purchase your subscription), follow these steps:

1. Select the files from your FOREVER Account that you want to download.
2. Click on the "Download" button near the top right of the Valet window.
3. Choose your download options.
4. Click the "Download" button.
5. Follow the progress of your download through the Activity Window.*

*You may close the Activity window while the download is in progress; this will not interrupt or cancel the download, and you will get a message in the bottom right of the main screen when the download is complete.

 

Q24: Is there a download limit with Valet?

A: Valet does not limit the number of files you download, however you will be limited by the space on the computer or hard drive to which you are downloading the files.

 

Q25: Can I download all my files?

A: Yes, you can - as long as you have enough storage space on the computer or drive you are downloading to.

 

Q26: Can I keep my FOREVER Album organization when I download files?

A: Yes, you can. You have these options for your downloaded files:

• You can keep the organizational structure (Albums and nested Albums) that you created in your FOREVER Account.
• You can have Valet create folders and sub-folders by Year and Month to organize the files you are downloading.
• You can just download the files to the computer or hard drive without any organization.
• You can download by year (date taken).

 

Q27: My internet connection is spotty. Does FOREVER provide a service for downloading and sending my files to me on a hard drive?

A: Not at this time.

 

Q28: I see a message that some of my files failed to download. Why would this happen?

A: Files could fail to download for these reasons:

• You do not have enough space in the download location for all the files you selected.
• Something happened during download that Valet did not expect.
• The file may be corrupt.

 

Q29: I am setting the options to download files from FOREVER, and I do not see the option to download with my FOREVER organization (Albums and nested Albums). What happened?

A: You can only see the option to download with FOREVER Organization if you are downloading your entire FOREVER Gallery, or if you select an Album or nested Album to download.

We are not able to create and assign Albums during download if you select files from your Gallery. At this time, we are not able to capture the full organizational structure from the file information. (In other words, we do not know what higher-level Albums the file's assigned Album is a part of.)

 

Valet connecting to other programs/storage apps

Q30: Can I connect FOREVER Valet™ to FOREVER Historian™?

A: Not at this time. There is already an existing connector between your FOREVER Account and Historian for this purpose. Future updates to either Historian or Valet may allow us to review and reconsider this at a later date.

Click here to learn how to export your Historian Cabinet so you can upload the files via Valet.

 

Q31: Can I upload the files from my Historian Shadow Copy to FOREVER through Valet?

A: Not at this time. Your Shadow Copy's purpose is to back up your Historian cabinet. All file sharing between Historian and FOREVER should be completed through the FOREVER Connector within Historian.

Click here to learn how to export your Historian Cabinet so you can upload the files via Valet.

 

Q32: Can I connect FOREVER Valet™ to FOREVER Artisan®?

A: Not at this time. There is already an existing connector between your FOREVER Account and Artisan.

 

Q33: Can I connect FOREVER Valet to outside storage locations (such as OneDrive, Google Photos, Apple Photos, SmugMug, etc.)?

A: Not at this time. However, we do plan to offer this option in the future.

 

Working in Valet

Q34: Am I required to have a FOREVER Storage Account to use Valet?

A: Yes, you are. Since Valet is a tool that makes it easier to upload files from your computer to your FOREVER Account, you must have a FOREVER Account to use Valet.*

*If you are using a free 2GB FOREVER Storage Account, your uploaded files will not be covered by the FOREVER Guarantee. Click here to read the terms of the FOREVER Guarantee: https://www.forever.com/guarantee

 

Q35: I selected files and clicked the "Upload" button, but Valet says that I don't have files selected. What happened?

A: The files you see when you open Valet are already in your FOREVER Account. To upload more files to your FOREVER Account:

1. Click either the Select Files or Select Folder button.
2. Navigate to the location on your computer that has the files or folder you want to upload.
3. Select additional options in the Upload Window.
4. Click the "Upload" button.

 

Q36: Can I select files from multiple folders on my computer to upload?

A: Yes. To do this click on the Upload and select the Add Files. This will allow you to browse to the folder, to select the photos you want to upload. Once you select those photos, you can select Add Files once again and browse to the new folder to select the photos you want to upload. 

 

Q37: What happens if I close Valet before an upload or download is complete?

A: You will see a message that the upload or download that is in progress will pause when you close Valet. If you confirm this message and close Valet, you will need to go to the Activity window and click "Resume" to continue the upload or download when you re-open Valet.

 

Q38: What happens if I lose my internet connection during an upload or download in Valet?

A: Valet will attempt to complete the upload or download once you have re-established an internet connection.

 

Q39: Can I schedule additional uploads/downloads before the current one is complete? How will Valet handle those?

A: Yes, you can. Close the Activity Window (your current upload/download will continue) to queue up additional files to upload or download.

 

Q40: Can I pause an upload/download and finish at another time?

A: Yes, you can. While an upload or download is in progress, you will see a "Pause" button below the progress bar in the Activity window. Click the "Pause" button and a "Resume" button will appear in its place. When you are ready, click "Resume" and the upload or download will finish.

 

Q41: Can I pause an upload/download and move to a different job without resuming the first one?

A: Yes, you can.

Once you pause upload or download activity, the next scheduled task in the list will begin. If you do not have the next job scheduled, you may close the Activity Window, schedule the next upload or download, and it will begin as soon as you click the Upload/Download button.

The "paused" activity will remain paused until you click either "Resume" or "Cancel."

 

Q42: Can I cancel an upload/download once it starts?

A: Yes, you can. Click on the "Cancel" button below the progress bar for the file that is being processed. Notes:

• If you are uploading files when you click "Cancel," the entire upload will be cancelled, and you will not see files from this process in your FOREVER Account.
• If you are downloading files when you click "Cancel," the files that completed before you clicked the "Cancel" button will be downloaded, but no other selected files will download.

 

Q43: I have a streaming video plan for my FOREVER Account. When I view video files individually in Valet, some have a message that I need to convert the video before playing because it was added before I got my plan. Where can I convert videos in Valet?

A: You are not able to convert videos in Valet at this time. Please log into your FOREVER account via the website to convert your videos.

 

Q44. Can I select Multiple Albums or Tags to Download? 

A: Yes, you can now select multiple "parent" Album structures (including all nested albums) or multiple Tags for download from the main thumbnail list view. This feature allows for more customization when downloading media, and using these bulk actions increases efficincy and streamlines workflows.

Please Note: For Albums, only parent (top level) albums can be multi-selected for downloading. ALL nested albums under the parent albums will be included in the download, but individual nested albums cannont be multi-selected from the thumbnail view at this time. 

 

Professional Version of Valet

Q45: How do I switch between FOREVER Storage Accounts?

A: For every account where you are assigned as the Account Manager:

1. Click on the name of your account in the upper right of the Valet window.
2. In the drop-down menu, click on "Switch Accounts."
3. The Switch Accounts window will display, and you will see a list of all the accounts that you manage.
4. Click "Switch" to the right of the Account you want to switch to.

Note: Once you have switched to one or more accounts, you will see a list of "recent" managed accounts in the drop-down menu when you click on your account name. These will provide easy access to the last 3-5 accounts you have accessed.

 

Q46: How do I connect Valet to a different FOREVER Account?

A: If you click on the name of your account in the upper right of the Valet window, you will see a "Sign Out" button at the bottom of the drop-down menu. Click this button. The Valet Login window will display. Enter the email address and password for the Account you want to sign into.*

*Both Accounts need to have an active Trial version or paid subscription of Valet in order to sign out of one Account and into another. If you do not have a active trial version or paid subscription to both accounts, you can assign the account that has a Professional subscription as the Account Manager for the account without Valet.

 

Q47: How many FOREVER Storage Accounts can I access through Valet?

A: There is no limit to the number of accounts you can access. See the question above - How do I connect Valet to a different FOREVER Account - for details on this.

 

Q48: Do I need to wait for an upload/download to complete before switching accounts?

A: Yes, you should. If you attempt to log out before an upload or download is complete, the upload or download will be paused until you log back in to that client's account and click "Resume."

 

Q49: I am uploading video for a client. Why doesn't the video play when I open it in the Lightbox in Valet?

A: The FOREVER Storage Account where the video is stored (in this case, the one that belongs to the client) needs to have Streaming Video in order for the video file to play.

 

Q50: I logged out of my FOREVER Account that has a Professional subscription for Valet and into another FOREVER Account that I own. The account I logged into has an Individual subscription for Valet. When I log back into the first Account - with the Professional subscription - will I see the second account as one I can switch to?

A: No, the software doesn't keep track of other accounts that you log into via the Sign Out and Login process. However, if you assign the account that has a Professional subscription as the Account Manager to the one with an Individual subscription, you will be able to quickly switch between accounts within Valet.