How to transfer your domain from Wix

Before you start

1. Make sure Wix is where you bought it. These steps are for domains purchased from Wix. If you bought the domain somewhere else and only connected it to Wix, it's already registered elsewhere, and there's nothing to transfer away from Wix. Not sure? Our free domain checker shows where a domain is registered.
2. Check the 60-day lock. A domain can't be transferred within 60 days of being purchased, transferred, or having its registrant contact details changed. If you plan to move it, Wix suggests transferring before you change contact details, so you don't start a new lock.
3. Turn off private registration. Wix says to do this before you start, so you don't miss the emails the transfer depends on.
4. Make sure you can read the registrant email. Wix sends the transfer code to the registrant contact email address on the domain.
5. Write down your DNS records. Especially your email (MX) records. Wix says business email stops working after the transfer until you add your MX records again at the new provider.
6. Set up an account at the new registrar, in your name and with an email address you'll keep.

Two more of Wix's rules: the site owner can transfer any domain in the account, while a co-owner can only transfer a domain that's in their own Wix account and paid with their own payment method. An expired domain can still be transferred while it's in its grace period.

Wix's steps to transfer your domain away

1. Go to Domains in your Wix account.
2. Click the Domain Actions icon next to the domain.
3. Select Transfer Away from Wix.
4. Review the information, then click Transfer Domain.
5. Click I Still Want to Transfer. Wix emails the transfer code, called an EPP code, to the registrant contact email.
6. At your new registrar, start a domain transfer and enter the EPP code. Then watch your inbox and approve any confirmation emails, because a transfer won't go through until you do.

Wix's article also says the domain must be unlocked before you start. If your new registrar reports that the domain is locked or blocked, contact Wix support. Domains ending in .uk work differently: they use a tag change instead of an EPP code, and Wix has separate instructions for them.

How long it takes

Wix says transfers usually take up to 7 days, and a pending status during that time is normal. Wix can't speed it up or track it once it starts, so check with your new registrar for updates.

After the transfer

• Add your DNS records at the new registrar, starting with your email (MX) records, so mail keeps arriving.
• Reconnect your website. To keep your Wix site, connect the domain to Wix again. Wix supports connecting a domain registered elsewhere, by pointing it or by changing name servers. Or point it at your new website.
• Renewals now bill at your new registrar, at their price. Turn on auto-renew and keep your contact details current.

If the transfer is stuck

• Check whether the domain is still inside a 60-day lock from a purchase, a transfer or a contact change.
• Look for confirmation emails you haven't answered, at the registrant email address.
• Under ICANN's rules, the registrar holding your domain has to give you the transfer code within five calendar days of your request. If a registrar breaks ICANN's transfer rules, you can file a complaint with ICANN.

Rather hand it off?

Our Builder Rescue service gets your domain into an account in your name, moves your site and keeps your email working through the move. It's $600, plus any balance the old provider requires, and it's free with any website plan. Leaving a different builder? See how to get your domain back from a website builder.