How long does it take for a domain to connect to Wix?

Often a few hours, but it can take up to 48 hours for the change to reach everyone. The security certificate is issued after the domain connects, so the padlock can take a little longer to appear.

Do I have to transfer my domain to Wix?

No. Connecting and transferring are different. Connecting leaves the domain registered where it is and only changes where it points, which is enough to use it with a Wix site.

Will connecting my domain to Wix break my email?

Pointing does not affect email. Changing nameservers can, unless your MX and related TXT records are also set up in Wix, so copy them before you start and check them afterwards.

Guides / Wix

How do I connect my domain to Wix, and why is it not working?

By the WebFixed team. Last updated 21 September 2026.

The short answer

You connect a domain to Wix from Settings, then Domains, in your Wix dashboard, either by changing the domain’s nameservers to Wix or by pointing it with an A record and a CNAME record at your registrar. It needs a Wix Premium plan, and changes can take up to 48 hours to spread across the internet. When a connection fails, the usual causes are a site that has not been upgraded, records typed incorrectly or old records left in place, or not enough time having passed. If you use email on the domain, note your MX records before changing nameservers, or your email will stop arriving.

Before you start

Your Wix site needs a Premium plan. Free Wix sites cannot use your own domain.
You need the login for the company where the domain is registered, known as the registrar. In the UK that is often 123 Reg, GoDaddy, IONOS, Fasthosts, Namecheap or 20i.
If you have email addresses on the domain, find out who provides the email, for example Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or the registrar itself.

Nameservers or pointing: which to choose

DNS is the set of records that tells the internet where your website and email live. Nameservers decide which company holds those records. Wix offers two ways to connect a domain you bought elsewhere.

Connecting by nameservers is the method Wix recommends. You replace the registrar’s nameservers with the ones Wix gives you, and from then on all DNS records for the domain are managed inside Wix.

Connecting by pointing leaves the nameservers alone. You edit two records at the registrar, an A record and a CNAME record for www, using the values Wix shows you. Everything else, including email, carries on unchanged. Pointing is often the safer choice when the domain has working email that you do not want to disturb.

Connecting the domain step by step

In your Wix dashboard go to Settings, then Domains.
Choose the option to connect a domain you already own, pick the site and enter the domain name.
Follow the prompts. Wix suggests nameservers by default. If you would rather point the domain, look for the option to connect using pointing.
For nameservers: log in to your registrar, find the nameserver settings for the domain, and replace the existing entries with the nameservers Wix shows you. Save.
For pointing: log in to your registrar, open the DNS settings, edit the A record for the main domain and the CNAME record for www so that they match the values Wix shows you. Remove any other A or AAAA records for the main domain. Save.
Return to Wix and confirm that you have made the change. Wix then checks the connection.

Before changing anything, take a screenshot or copy of every DNS record at your registrar. If something goes wrong you can put the records back exactly as they were.

Keeping your email working

Email is delivered using MX records, which tell other mail servers where to send messages for your domain. If you change nameservers to Wix, the records held at your registrar stop being used, including the MX records. Unless the same records exist in Wix, email will stop arriving.

Before changing nameservers, copy the MX records from your registrar, along with any TXT records used for email such as SPF and DKIM, which help prove your messages are genuine.
After connecting, go to Settings, then Domains, in Wix, open the menu next to the domain and choose the option to manage DNS records.
Check whether the MX and TXT records are present. Add any that are missing, exactly as they were.
Send a test email to your address from an outside account, such as a personal Gmail, and confirm that it arrives.

Why it is not working yet

Not enough time has passed. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to spread, which is called propagation. During that time the site may load for some people and not others.
The security certificate has not been issued yet. Wix adds SSL, which gives the padlock and https, automatically once the domain is connected. Until it is issued, browsers may show a "not secure" warning. This usually clears without any action within a day or two.
A record was typed incorrectly or an old record was left in place. Compare the records at your registrar with the values in Wix, character by character.
The www version is missing. If the site loads at yourdomain.co.uk but not at www.yourdomain.co.uk, or the other way round, the CNAME or A record is missing or wrong.
The nameservers were changed in the wrong place. They must be changed at the company where the domain is registered, not at a separate hosting company.
The site is not published, or the domain or Premium plan is attached to a different site in your Wix account.

The Domains page in Wix shows the status of the connection and usually names the record that is wrong.

When to get help

Ask for help if more than 48 hours have passed and the domain still does not load, if your email stopped working after the change, or if you are not comfortable editing DNS records. Mistakes with DNS can take a website and email offline at the same time, so it is reasonable to have someone check the records before you save them. WebFixed fixes this kind of problem for a fixed price agreed up front, with one-off fixes from £39 including VAT and nothing charged until you accept the quote.

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