You can follow these simple steps below to install Artisan® 6 on the same computer as Artisan® 5, and move all your content into the newer software! This is broken down into 5 easy steps:
💡Want help upgrading from Artisan 5 to Artisan 6? Book a dedicated screen share session with a knowledgeable Client Care Agent who can provide hands-on help with any part of this process: 🔗FOREVER Client Care Desktop Support
1. Create a Backup💾
Before getting started with the new software, we first suggest you create a backup. Because, as with all technology, sometimes issues can occur when moving from older to newer software. We strongly recommend making a backup to an external hard drive, so you have a copy saved in case it needs to be recovered.
You can find steps for backing up a copy of your Artisan content here: 🔗Checklist for backing up FOREVER Desktop Software
2. Install Artisan 6💻
Because you're installing Artisan 6 on the same computer as Artisan 5, please double-check your current computer's specs meet our minimum requirement to be able to run the new Artisan 6 software. Otherwise you can run into issues such as...
- The software not installing correctly;
- Artisan not being able to open;
- Extreme lagging when trying to design;
- Or even the software force-closing itself.
Learn more about the Artisan 6 minimum computer requirements here: 🔗Software System Requirements
Now that you've confirmed your computer has at least the minimum requirements to run the software, you can install Artisan 6 from one of these three places:
A. Your FOREVER account Download's area;
B. Your Order Confirmation email;
C. By going to www.forever.com/downloads and clicking "Download Artisan 6".
After the file finishes downloading, double-click to open and run the Artisan6Setup.exe file - follow the prompts from the Install Shield Wizard to complete the installation process.
⚠️Issues installing the Artisan 6 software to your computer? If you are able, please grab any screen shots of error messages you have encountered then contact FOREVER Client Care to let us know of what's happening.
3. Open and Activate🔒
With the software installed on the computer, simply log in with your FOREVER account email and password that purchased or was gifted Artisan 6 — no need for an Activation Code to unlock your software, it will connect with your online account to get that code for you!
📌Note: Make sure to attach any external hard drive(s) that contain Digital Art Kits you want to have access to in Artisan 6. Additionally, disconnect any external hard drive(s) that only act as backups for your Artisan content. This is because Artisan 6 has a "smart search" feature that will find the places of your art kits to make sure they're connected in your Content Manager, saving you an extra step!
⚠️Issues activating your Artisan 6 software? If you are able, please grab any screen shots of error messages you have encountered then contact FOREVER Client Care to let us know of what's happening.
4. Migration Assistant⚡
The Migration Assistant is an automated system that helps move content to your new Artisan for you! This should automatically pop up when you log in to Artisan 6 and it recognizes you have Artisan 5 installed.
In the pop-up box. simply leave check marked anything you want to bring over from the older software. This includes...
- Content License Activation Codes = your art kit's activation codes
- Content Library Folders = location to where your art kits are being stored
- Content Tags = any tags you've added to elements within art kits
- Font Groups = specific groups you've created for installed fonts
- Kit Categories = your art kit's categories they were sorted into
- My Event Dates for Calendars = personally created event lists, used for calendar projects
- User Dictionary for Spell Checker = words you added so they're skipped by the spell checker
If it doesn't do this right away, simply finish the Artisan 6 setup then open your computer's File Explorer. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Forever\Artisan 6, then scroll down to find the MigrationAssistant.exe file to double-click or right-click and open it. This will provide the pop-up window as shown above.
5. Double-check Content🔄
As previously mentioned, sometimes issues can occur when moving from an older program to a newer version of the software. The final step is to double-check all the content to make sure it was correctly moved over (i.e. your Digital Art Kits, their codes, Categories, etc). If you're missing items, or they did not correctly come over, you can read this article for steps on how to grab the specific parts of what you need from your backup created in step 1.
⚠️If you run into any issues with this process, please grab any screen shots of error messages you have encountered then contact FOREVER Client Care to let us know of what's happening. You can also book a dedicated screen share session for hands-on help with any part of this process: 🔗FOREVER Client Care Desktop Support