Table of contents
- 1. Understand What You Are Moving
- 2. Check Whether Your Domain Is Eligible
- 3. Prepare Your Website and Email
- 4. Unlock the Domain in Wix
- 5. Obtain Your Wix Authorization Code
- 6. Start the Transfer in Hostinger
- 7. Choose the Correct DNS Settings
- 8. Confirm the Transfer and Monitor Its Status
- 9. Restore Website and Email Services
- 10. Fix Common Transfer Problems
- 11. Finish With a Verified Setup
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Understand What You Are Moving
Transfer domain from Wix to Hostinger by first checking where your domain is registered, preparing the domain for transfer, obtaining its authorization code, and submitting the transfer request through Hostinger.
The process moves domain registration management to Hostinger, but it does not automatically move your website, website files, email accounts, or content.
Those services must be handled separately.
Before starting, decide whether you need to transfer the domain registration itself or simply connect your existing Wix domain to a website hosted at Hostinger.
That distinction can save time and prevent avoidable downtime.
A domain name is the address people enter into a browser to visit your website.
Registration determines which provider manages that domain, its renewal, and its registration details.
Hosting is the service that stores and serves the website.
DNS, or Domain Name System, connects the domain to the services that use it, including the website and email.
These functions are related, but they are not interchangeable.
For example, imagine that your domain is registered through Wix, your website is built with Wix Website Builder, and you want to move to WordPress hosted at Hostinger.
Transferring the domain registration alone will not recreate your Wix website in WordPress.
You must build or migrate the website separately, then ensure the domain points to the correct destination.
There are two main approaches.
Option one is to transfer the domain registration to Hostinger. Hostinger becomes the provider responsible for domain management, renewals, and the DNS settings you configure there.
This can make sense if you want to manage your domain and hosting in one account.
Option two is to leave the domain registered with Wix and point it to Hostinger. Your website can be hosted at Hostinger while Wix continues to manage the domain registration.
This may be simpler if your immediate goal is to move the website rather than the domain itself.
Neither option is automatically better.
A registration transfer is useful when you want to change domain providers.
Updating DNS may be sufficient when you simply want your website to run on different hosting.
The remaining steps explain how to transfer the registration to Hostinger and how to protect the website and email services connected to the domain.
2. Check Whether Your Domain Is Eligible
Before opening the transfer process, verify that your domain can be moved.
A domain can appear active in your Wix account and still be ineligible for an immediate transfer.
Most common domain extensions are subject to transfer eligibility rules that include a 60 day restriction after initial registration or a previous transfer.
Certain changes to registrant information can also trigger a transfer restriction.
These rules are designed to help prevent unauthorized domain transfers.
Wix identifies these restrictions in its domain transfer guidance, and Hostinger also requires domains to meet its transfer conditions.
Check the following before continuing:
- Registration date: Confirm that the domain has been registered for long enough to meet the applicable transfer requirements.
- Previous transfers: Make sure the domain has not been transferred recently.
- Contact changes: Check whether you recently changed the registered domain owner's information.
- Domain status: Verify that the domain is active and not suspended or subject to a restriction that prevents transfer.
- Extension support: Confirm that Hostinger supports transfers for your particular domain extension.
- Expiration date: Allow enough time for the transfer to finish before the domain expires.
- Account access: Make sure you can sign in to the Wix account that manages the domain.
- Registered email: Confirm that you can access the email address associated with the domain registration.
The domain extension matters.
A standard .com domain may follow a different procedure from certain country specific extensions.
Some extensions use special transfer mechanisms rather than the conventional authorization code process.
Hostinger recommends beginning a transfer with sufficient time remaining before expiration.
A domain transfer can take several days, and an expired domain may face additional restrictions or recovery costs.
If your domain is subject to a 60 day restriction, do not repeatedly attempt the same transfer.
You can usually continue preparing your new website while waiting for the restriction to end.
If you need the new website to become available before the domain is eligible for transfer, connecting the domain to Hostinger through DNS may be an alternative.
Check the domain's current restrictions and the requirements for your chosen website setup before changing any records.
3. Prepare Your Website and Email
The most important preparation step is identifying every service that depends on the domain.
A website may be only one of them.
Your domain might also be used for business email, customer support addresses, newsletter delivery, subdomains, analytics verification, and other online services.
A change in DNS settings can affect these services if the required records are not preserved.
Before transferring the domain, create a record of your current configuration.
Record the existing DNS entries.
Open the domain settings in Wix and locate the DNS management area.
The exact interface can vary, but you should identify the existing records before making changes.
Pay particular attention to:
- A records, which commonly direct a domain or subdomain to an IPv4 address.
- AAAA records, which can direct a domain or subdomain to an IPv6 address.
- CNAME records, which point one hostname to another hostname.
- MX records, which identify the mail servers responsible for receiving email.
- TXT records, which are often used for domain verification and email authentication.
- Any additional records used by subdomains or external services.
You do not necessarily need to change all these records.
The purpose is to understand what already exists so you can recreate or preserve the configuration when necessary.
Identify your email provider.
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If you use a business address such as contact@yourdomain.com, determine which company actually provides the mailbox.
It may be Wix, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or another email service.
The domain registrar and email provider can be different companies.
Transferring the domain does not automatically move the mailbox or its stored messages.
If you rely on business email, make sure you know which MX records must remain in place.
You may also need TXT records for email authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, depending on your provider's configuration.
Do not replace email records with default Hostinger values unless you are deliberately moving the email service and have completed the necessary setup.
Check your website migration separately.
If your current website uses Wix Website Builder, moving the domain does not automatically copy the website's pages, design, images, forms, or content into Hostinger.
Prepare the replacement website before changing the domain's destination.
If you are moving to WordPress, install and configure WordPress at Hostinger, rebuild or migrate the relevant content, and test the new site using an appropriate preview or temporary address.
If you are only transferring domain registration while keeping the website hosted elsewhere, the preparation may be much simpler.
You still need to preserve the DNS configuration that directs visitors to the existing website.
Taking these steps first reduces the chance of discovering a missing email record or unfinished website after the transfer has started.
4. Unlock the Domain in Wix
A domain lock helps protect a domain from unauthorized transfers.
Before transferring a domain from Wix to Hostinger, you generally need to remove the transfer lock through the Wix domain management interface.
Sign in to your Wix account and open the area where your domains are managed.
Locate the domain you want to move and open its domain actions or management menu.
Look for the option to transfer the domain away from Wix.
Wix's current process directs eligible users through a transfer confirmation flow, after which the authorization code can be provided to the registered contact email.
Follow the instructions displayed in your account rather than relying on an older screenshot or tutorial.
Interface labels can change.
During preparation, review whether domain privacy needs to be disabled.
Wix recommends disabling private registration before starting a transfer so that important transfer messages are not missed.
The exact privacy controls available depend on the domain and its registration configuration.
Make sure you can receive messages at the registrant email address.
If you no longer have access to it, resolve that problem before initiating the transfer.
Do not confuse unlocking with transferring.
Unlocking the domain only makes it eligible to proceed when other requirements are satisfied.
It does not move the registration to Hostinger, change the website hosting, or automatically update DNS records.
After unlocking, the change may not become effective immediately.
If Hostinger reports that the domain remains locked, allow time for the status to update before repeating the transfer attempt.
If Wix does not provide the option to transfer the domain, investigate the reason.
The domain may be subject to a restriction, the selected extension may require a different procedure, or the account permissions may be insufficient.
Only the domain owner or an appropriately authorized account user should perform this process.
5. Obtain Your Wix Authorization Code
The authorization code, also known as an EPP code or transfer code, is used to authorize a domain transfer between registrars for many common domain extensions.
Wix provides the code through its transfer process for eligible domains.
After you choose to transfer the domain away, review the displayed information, confirm that you want to continue, and follow the instructions to request the code.
Wix sends the transfer authorization code to the registered contact email address associated with the domain.
Check that mailbox, including its spam or junk folder, if the message does not appear.
The code may contain a mixture of letters, numbers, and other characters.
Copy it carefully.
When you enter it in Hostinger, avoid adding spaces at the beginning or end.
If you type the code manually, double check similar looking characters.
Keep the authorization code private.
Treat it as a credential for your domain transfer, and share it only through the intended transfer process.
If the code does not arrive, confirm that the registered email address is correct and accessible.
Return to the domain management area to check the transfer status and available instructions.
If necessary, contact Wix support.
Do not use an authorization code from a different domain.
Each code must correspond to the domain you are transferring.
Some country specific extensions have different requirements.
For example, certain .uk domains use an IPS tag process instead of the usual EPP code workflow.
If your domain uses a special extension, check the transfer instructions for that extension before proceeding.
Once you have the correct code and have confirmed that the domain is eligible, you can begin the transfer request through Hostinger.
6. Start the Transfer in Hostinger
After preparing the domain in Wix, open Hostinger's domain transfer page or the domain transfer option within your Hostinger account.
Enter the complete domain name you want to transfer.
Check the spelling carefully, especially the extension.
A small typo can cause Hostinger to treat the name as a different domain.
Follow the prompts to check transfer eligibility.
If the domain is supported and can be transferred, proceed with the instructions shown in the account.
The general process is:
- Enter the domain name.
- Confirm that the domain is eligible for transfer.
- Continue through the transfer order.
- Complete any required payment.
- Enter the authorization code obtained from Wix.
- Review the nameserver and DNS options.
- Submit the transfer request.
- Monitor your email for confirmation or additional instructions.
The exact sequence and available options can change, so follow the current Hostinger interface.
Review the price before paying.
A domain transfer may involve a fee, and the cost depends on the extension and the available transfer terms.
For many common generic extensions, the transfer includes an additional year of registration, but this is not universal.
Some country code extensions have different renewal rules.
Check the amount displayed at checkout and determine whether the transaction includes a renewal.
Do not assume that every extension receives the same registration extension or pricing.
Also consider the domain's current expiration date.
Hostinger advises starting the process with enough time remaining, because transfers can take several days and additional complications can delay completion.
Use the correct authorization code.
If Hostinger rejects the code, first verify that it belongs to the correct domain and was copied accurately.
Confirm that the domain is unlocked and that enough time has passed for the registrar's status to update.
Repeatedly submitting the same incorrect code is unlikely to solve the problem.
If the error persists, return to Wix to verify the code or request assistance from the current registrar.
Once the transfer request is accepted, keep checking the account and email for the next steps.
7. Choose the Correct DNS Settings
Hostinger asks you to select how the domain's nameservers and DNS configuration should be handled during the transfer.
This choice deserves careful attention because it affects how the domain connects to your website and other services.
Nameservers identify the DNS service responsible for managing a domain's records.
Changing them can change which DNS records control the website, email, and subdomains.
The right option depends on where your services are currently hosted and what you plan to change.
Use Hostinger nameservers when the DNS setup is ready for Hostinger.
This option may be appropriate if your website and relevant email services are already configured to use Hostinger's DNS infrastructure, or if you plan to establish those services there and have prepared the necessary records.
Before selecting it, confirm that the required records exist or can be recreated.
If you have a business email provider outside Hostinger, preserve the correct mail records.
Keep the existing nameservers when your current DNS provider should remain in control.
This may suit businesses that want to transfer domain registration but continue managing DNS through another provider.
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For example, your website could be hosted at Hostinger while DNS remains managed by a separate service.
In that arrangement, the domain registration and DNS hosting are handled by different providers.
Keeping existing nameservers can reduce the number of simultaneous changes, provided the current DNS service will remain available and the records point to the correct destination.
Use custom settings only when you understand the configuration.
Advanced setups may involve custom nameservers or specific DNS arrangements.
If your organization relies on third party services, several subdomains, or specialized routing, verify the intended configuration before selecting a custom option.
Hostinger notes that nameservers cannot be changed during the transfer process.
You should therefore make the decision before submitting the request.
Do not change nameservers simply because Hostinger is becoming the registrar.
Domain registration can move without every website and email service moving at the same time.
The safest choice is the one that preserves the records required by your current setup and supports the website configuration you intend to use after the transfer.
8. Confirm the Transfer and Monitor Its Status
After submitting the transfer request through Hostinger, check the email accounts associated with the domain and the transfer order.
You may receive a confirmation message from Wix, Hostinger, or another party involved in the registration process.
Follow any legitimate confirmation instructions required to complete the transfer.
Check the sender and the domain involved before approving anything, because domain transfers should never be authorized through an unexpected or suspicious message.
A transfer can remain pending for several days.
Wix states that transfers away from its platform usually take up to seven days, although the timing depends on the domain and the transfer process.
Hostinger also explains that a transfer can take several days.
A pending status does not automatically mean that something is wrong.
During this period, monitor the transfer status in your Hostinger account.
If the provider indicates that additional confirmation is required, complete the requested action.
If there is no action required, avoid making unnecessary changes to the domain configuration while the transfer is underway.
Keep in mind that a domain transfer and a website migration are separate processes.
A domain can be successfully transferred even if the replacement website is incomplete.
Conversely, a website can be hosted at Hostinger while the domain registration remains with Wix.
Do not cancel existing services prematurely.
Wait until you have confirmed that the domain transfer has completed and that you no longer need the relevant Wix domain management service.
If your website or email still depends on a Wix service, ending that service before the replacement is ready may interrupt access.
Once Hostinger confirms completion, open the domain management area and verify that the domain appears in your account.
Check the registration details, expiration date, renewal settings, and nameservers.
If the transfer remains pending longer than expected, review any messages from the providers and contact Hostinger for status information.
Wix notes that once a transfer has been initiated with the new provider, that provider is the appropriate contact for tracking its progress.
9. Restore Website and Email Services
When the domain arrives in Hostinger, do not assume that every connected service is working correctly.
Check the website, email, subdomains, and external integrations individually.
Start by opening the domain in a browser.
Test both the preferred domain address and any version with the www prefix if both are intended to work.
Confirm that visitors reach the correct website rather than an old page, an error message, or an unrelated destination.
If you have moved the website from Wix to WordPress or another platform, verify that the new site is actually configured to serve the domain.
A completed registration transfer does not create website content or automatically migrate your Wix design.
Check the main pages, navigation, images, forms, and important calls to action.
If the new website is a business site, submit a test inquiry and confirm that it reaches the intended inbox.
Test email separately.
Send a message from an external email address to your business address, then send a reply.
Confirm that incoming and outgoing messages work.
If email fails, inspect the MX records and the configuration required by your email provider.
The correct records must point to the service that handles your mailbox.
If you use a provider such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, follow that provider's DNS instructions rather than replacing its records with generic defaults.
Also check the TXT records used for email authentication.
Incorrect SPF, DKIM, or DMARC configuration can affect message delivery or authentication, even when the mailbox itself appears to work.
Wix specifically warns that business email may require MX records to be added again after a domain transfer.
The exact repair depends on your email provider and the DNS configuration selected during the transfer.
Check subdomains and external tools.
A domain may support subdomains such as shop.example.com, support.example.com, or app.example.com.
These can point to services different from the main website.
Verify any subdomains used by your business.
Also check domain verification records associated with analytics, advertising platforms, search tools, newsletter systems, and other services.
If a service stops working after the transfer, compare the active DNS configuration with the records you documented before beginning.
Restore only the records that are required for the intended service.
The objective is to confirm that the domain still reaches every service that should remain available.
10. Fix Common Transfer Problems
Most transfer problems fall into a few categories: eligibility restrictions, incorrect authorization codes, domain locks, unsupported extensions, DNS configuration errors, or missed confirmation messages.
Understanding the specific error is more useful than restarting the entire process.
Hostinger says the domain is locked.
Return to Wix and check the domain's transfer status.
If you have just unlocked the domain, wait for the change to take effect.
Hostinger notes that a recently changed lock status may take a couple of hours to be recognized.
If the domain remains locked, investigate whether a registration restriction or another eligibility issue applies.
The authorization code is rejected.
Check the spelling of the domain and make sure the code belongs to that domain.
Copy the code again from the Wix transfer process, paying attention to spaces and similar looking characters.
If the code is still rejected, request assistance from Wix.
Do not keep trying random codes or use one provided for another domain.
The domain cannot be transferred because of a 60 day restriction.
Check the registration date, previous transfer date, and any recent change to registrant information.
If the domain is subject to a restriction, you may need to wait until it expires.
If the immediate objective is to use a new website at Hostinger, consider whether connecting the domain through DNS is a suitable temporary option.
This does not remove the registration restriction, and it should be done only after reviewing the required DNS settings.
The domain extension is unsupported.
Hostinger does not necessarily support transfers for every domain extension at all times.
Check the current eligibility message and extension specific instructions.
If the extension cannot be transferred, you may still be able to point the domain to your Hostinger website while leaving registration with the current provider.
Confirm that the particular extension and DNS arrangement support your intended setup.
The website stops loading after the transfer.
Check the nameservers first.
Confirm which DNS provider is authoritative and whether the required website records exist there.
If the nameservers point to Hostinger, make sure the domain is connected to the correct hosting account and that the website is configured for that domain.
If the domain still uses an external DNS provider, inspect the records at that provider instead.
Avoid changing multiple records at once without understanding their purpose.
A systematic comparison with your saved DNS configuration makes it easier to identify the actual problem.
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Business email stops receiving messages.
Check the MX records and confirm that they match your email provider's requirements.
Also review any necessary TXT records.
If the mailbox is hosted by another company, transferring the domain registration does not move the mailbox to Hostinger.
The email provider must remain configured correctly regardless of where the domain is registered.
The transfer remains pending.
Review the transfer status and email notifications.
Confirm that no additional approval is waiting for you.
If the domain is eligible and the request has been submitted correctly, the transfer may simply be processing.
If the expected completion period has passed or the status indicates an error, contact Hostinger with the domain name and the exact message displayed in the account.
Avoid publishing sensitive authorization information in a public support forum.
11. Finish With a Verified Setup
Transferring a domain from Wix to Hostinger is manageable when you separate the registration transfer from the website and email work.
First, check eligibility and identify every service connected to the domain.
Record the existing DNS configuration, confirm that you can access the registered contact email, and prepare the website destination.
Then unlock the domain in Wix, obtain the correct authorization code, and submit the transfer through Hostinger.
Pay particular attention to the nameserver choice.
That decision determines where the domain's DNS records are managed, so it should reflect the website and email configuration you intend to keep.
After the transfer completes, verify the domain in your Hostinger account and test the website, business email, subdomains, and external services.
If something fails, investigate the relevant DNS records instead of assuming the domain transfer itself is broken.
If your only goal is to host a website at Hostinger, remember that you may not need to transfer the domain registration at all.
Connecting the domain to the new website can be sufficient while Wix continues to manage the registration.
Choose the approach that fits your actual objective, preserve the configuration your services depend on, and confirm each part of the setup before cancelling anything.
A successful transfer is not just a domain that appears in a new dashboard.
It is a domain that remains under your control and continues to direct visitors and messages where they are supposed to go.
