Help/Getting started/Set up your account

Set up your Vault in 10 minutes.

From sign-up to first upload — everything you need to start using Total Vault.

10 min readUpdated 26 May 2026

01Create your account.

Head to app.totalvault.ai/signup and sign up with your work email, Google, or Microsoft.

Every Total Vault account starts on the Starterplan — 10 GB free, every feature unlocked. You won’t be asked for a card.

02Confirm your email.

We’ll send a one-time code to confirm your email address. Drop it in, and you’re in.

Two-factor by default: Every sign-in requires your password plus an emailed code. You can mark trusted devices to skip the code for 30 days.

03Create your first project.

In Vault, click + Newin the top-left. Give it a name — usually the client’s name or shoot — and an optional date. Projects are how Vault keeps shoots organized; you can search and share at the project level.

Some naming ideas:

  • “Abigail & Noah · April 2026” — for a wedding
  • “Reyes Family · Fall 2024” — for a family session
  • “Aerie SS26” — for a brand campaign

04Upload your first batch.

Drag a folder (or a memory card) onto the project. Vault hashes each file, uploads in chunks, and resumes if your connection drops.

You’ll see a progress badge per file. Once everything turns green, your archive is safe.

Large archive? For anything over 5 TB, ask vault-support@totalwed.com for the desktop migration helper. Free.

05Invite your team.

From Settings → Team, invite associate shooters, editors, or assistants. Each role has its own permissions:

  • Admin — manage billing, members, and settings
  • Editor — full read & write on every project
  • Shooter — upload to any project, see their own work
  • Viewer — read-only, scoped to specific projects

06Search what you’ve shot.

Hit ⌘K (or click Searchin the sidebar) and type plain English: “first kiss at golden hour,” “Reyes family fall,” “every detail shot from May 2024.”

Vault returns results in under two seconds. Hover any result to preview, click to open, drag to download.

07You’re done.

That’s the whole onboarding. Everything else — sharing, brand customization, deeper team controls — is in Settings whenever you’re ready.

If you get stuck, email vault-support@totalwed.com. We answer within one business day.