Domains & DNS
Wix nameservers: connecting a domain and moving DNS
Find the right connection method for an external domain or a Wix-registered domain, and preserve email records during the change.
The right way to change Wix nameservers depends on where the domain is registered. If it is registered elsewhere, you can connect it to Wix by changing its nameservers. If it is registered with Wix, Wix currently says you cannot replace its nameservers; an external website can instead be connected through supported DNS record changes.
That distinction explains why one guide shows a nameserver field while another account does not. First establish whether you are connecting an external domain to Wix or moving a Wix-registered domain’s website elsewhere.
Choose the row that matches your domain
| Situation | Where DNS is managed | Action to investigate |
|---|---|---|
| External domain connected by Wix nameservers | Wix | Use the exact nameservers shown during Wix’s connection process |
| External domain connected by pointing | Your existing DNS provider | Change only the required website records there |
| Domain registered through Wix, external website | Wix, while using its supported DNS setup | Use the external host’s required A/CNAME records where supported |
| You need a different authoritative DNS provider | Depends on registrar support | Check whether registration must move to a registrar that permits it |
Wix’s nameserver connection guide says the domain remains registered with its existing registrar while Wix hosts the DNS. Its separate Wix-domain nameserver limitation documents the restriction for domains registered through Wix.
When connecting an external domain to Wix
Add the domain to the intended Wix site first and follow the account’s connection instructions. Copy the nameserver values displayed for that connection rather than using a pair found in an old tutorial. Confirm that the Wix site has the plan required for a custom domain.
Before replacing nameservers at the registrar, save the existing zone and identify records unrelated to the website: mail, domain verification, subdomains, and other services. Build the required equivalent records in the DNS destination. A nameserver change changes where all authoritative records are obtained, not only where the home page loads.
If keeping the current DNS provider is preferable, investigate pointing. Wix’s connection-method guide explains the difference: nameservers put DNS at Wix, whereas pointing leaves DNS with another provider. The correct choice is the one that fits the services you need to maintain.
When a Wix domain needs to serve another website
Ask the destination host for its supported custom-domain connection method. Compare that requirement with the records Wix lets you edit. If the destination accepts the available A/CNAME setup, changing those website records may be enough. Preserve email records and connect both the intended root hostname and www according to the destination’s instructions.
If the destination insists on authoritative nameservers you cannot set, discuss a domain transfer with a registrar that supports them. Check transfer eligibility, DNS continuity, and expiry before beginning. You do not need to rebuild the website merely to change the registrar, but you do need a plan for its DNS.
Check the right place when a change seems ignored
Wix’s DNS management guide notes that a domain connected through pointing must be edited at its external DNS host. An edit in an account that is not authoritative will not change the public answer, however long you wait.
Check the public NS records, the exact hostname being requested, and its A, AAAA, or CNAME answer. Then check whether the destination has accepted the hostname and issued the required certificate. DNS resolving to the intended destination does not prove the destination is ready to serve that domain over HTTPS.
Wix describes a propagation window of up to 48 hours for these connection changes. Treat that as a possible waiting period after a correct change, not a reason to ignore missing mail records or an incorrect nameserver entry. Keep the old services available until website and external email checks both pass.