Should I use the pointing method or the name server method to connect my domain to Wix?

It comes down to one question: who should manage your DNS records? The name server method hands DNS to Wix — you change the domain's nameservers to Wix's, and from then on Wix controls every record. It's the simplest if the domain only does Wix. The pointing method leaves DNS where it is (at your registrar or current host) and just adds an A record and a www CNAME aimed at Wix. Pointing is the right call when something else at that domain still needs to work — most commonly email. If you have working mailboxes, switching nameservers to Wix drops every MX record you don't manually recreate, and your mail quietly stops. If email matters, point; if the domain is Wix-only, nameservers are fine.

Wix says 'Invalid Configuration' even though I added the records. What's wrong?

'Invalid Configuration' means Wix looked up your domain's live DNS and didn't find exactly the records it expects — it's a mismatch report, not a Wix bug. Three things cause it, in order of likelihood. First, the change hasn't propagated yet: Wix is reading the old answer, and you just need to wait (up to 48 hours) and re-check. Second, the record values don't match what Wix shows — a typo, a trailing dot, or a value copied from an old guide instead of the one in your Wix dashboard right now. Third, a conflict: you can't have a CNAME on `www` sitting next to an A or AAAA record for the same name, because a CNAME can't coexist with other records at the same host. Fix the values to match Wix exactly, remove any conflicting record, then give it time.

My domain connects but the site shows 'Not Secure' / the padlock is broken. Did I miss a record?

Usually not — this is the SSL certificate still being issued, not a missing record. Wix provisions a free certificate automatically once it confirms the domain is pointed correctly, but that happens *after* DNS resolves, so there's a gap where the site loads over plain HTTP and the browser warns. It can take up to 24–72 hours after the domain verifies. Two things actually block it: a CAA record at your domain that doesn't permit Wix's certificate authority, and an incomplete connection (often only the A record set, not the www CNAME, so one of the two hostnames never verifies). Confirm both records match Wix, check there's no restrictive CAA record, then wait out the issuance window before assuming it failed.

Wix Custom Domain Not Connecting? Fix It in 4 Steps

Problem

You added your custom domain in Wix, copied some records, and the site still won’t come up — a connection error, Wix’s “Invalid Configuration” warning, or the page loading but flagged “Not Secure.” The domain exists and you own it; what’s unresolved is the handoff between your domain’s DNS and Wix’s servers. Wix gives you two completely different ways to do that handoff, and picking the wrong one for your situation — or mixing them — is where most of these failures come from.

Symptoms

The domain times out or shows “server not found,” or loads your old site/parking page instead of your Wix site.
Wix’s dashboard shows “Invalid Configuration” or keeps saying the domain isn’t connected.
www works but the root domain doesn’t (or the reverse).
The site loads but the browser shows “Not Secure” / a broken padlock.
Your email stopped working right after you connected the domain to Wix.

Two Ways to Connect — Pick One, Don’t Mix

Wix connects a domain by one of two methods, and the single most important decision is which one you’re using. They are not interchangeable step-by-step, and following half of each is a reliable way to break things.

Name servers (Wix manages DNS). You change the domain’s nameserver (NS) records at your registrar to point at Wix’s nameservers. After that, Wix is the authority for your domain and you manage every record from inside Wix. Simplest option — but it moves all DNS to Wix, which means any record you had elsewhere (email MX records especially) no longer applies unless you recreate it in Wix.

Pointing (your host keeps DNS). You leave the domain delegated where it is and add two records at your current DNS host: an A record on the root (@) and a CNAME on www, both aimed at the targets Wix shows you. DNS stays with your registrar/host, so your existing records — including email — keep working untouched. This is the method to use whenever the domain does more than just serve the Wix site.

The rule of thumb: if you have working email on this domain, use pointing. Switching nameservers to Wix is what silently kills mailboxes, because the MX records live in the DNS zone you just handed over.

Use the Exact Values Wix Shows You

Wix displays the precise A record IP and CNAME target for your account inside the domain connection screen. Use those. Don’t copy an IP or a wixdns.net target from a forum post or an old tutorial — Wix’s pointing targets have changed over time, and a stale value produces a site that looks configured and resolves to the wrong place. The structure below tells you which record goes where; your Wix dashboard is the only correct source for what the value is.

Top 3 Causes

Wrong method for the situation, or a half-done switch. You moved nameservers to Wix but needed email (now broken), or you’re pointing but only added one of the two records (so www or the root never connects). The tell: one hostname works and the other doesn’t, or email died the moment you connected.
Records that don’t match Wix, or haven’t propagated. The A/CNAME values are typo’d, stale, or still mid-propagation, so Wix reads the old answer and reports “Invalid Configuration.” The tell: resolvers disagree about the record, or the live value isn’t the one on Wix’s screen.
A conflict or a blocked certificate. A CNAME on www sitting beside an A/AAAA for the same name (not allowed — a CNAME can’t coexist with other records at one host), or a CAA record that forbids Wix’s certificate authority so HTTPS never provisions. The tell: the connection verifies but the padlock stays broken, or www refuses to save/resolve.

Diagnose with DechoNet

DNS Lookup shows your domain’s live NS, A, and CNAME records — so you can see which connection method is actually in effect and whether the values match what Wix is asking for.
DNS Propagation Check queries resolvers worldwide at once. Disagreement means you’re still propagating (wait); agreement on a wrong value means the record itself needs fixing, not more waiting.
SSL Check tells you whether a valid certificate has actually been issued for the domain yet, so you can separate “still provisioning” from “something is blocking issuance.”

Resolution Checklist

Decide the method first: pointing if this domain also runs email or other services, name servers if it’s Wix-only. Don’t combine them.
If pointing: add both the root A record and the www CNAME, using the exact values shown in your Wix dashboard — not values from a tutorial.
If using name servers: set the NS to Wix’s, then recreate any MX/email and other records inside Wix, because they no longer exist in the old zone.
Run DNS Lookup to confirm the live records match Wix exactly, and remove any conflicting record (e.g., an A record on www next to the CNAME).
Use DNS Propagation Check; if resolvers disagree, wait out the 48-hour window rather than changing more settings.
Once DNS is correct, give SSL up to 24–72 hours to provision, confirm with an SSL Check, and make sure no CAA record is blocking Wix’s certificate authority.

When to Escalate

If DNS resolves correctly to Wix everywhere and SSL is issued but the site still misbehaves, the problem is inside Wix’s site settings (publishing, redirects, the primary-domain setting), not the domain connection.
If email broke after connecting, the fix is the DNS method, not Wix support: switch back to pointing (or recreate the exact MX records your mail provider specifies inside Wix) — and never guess MX values, take them from the mail provider.

Check your own domain now

Free, no sign-up. Runs the exact check this guide describes and shows what to fix.