Connect a domain bought at Wix (DNS records, no nameserver change)

Did you buy your domain at Wix, or does Wix manage its DNS? This guide shows, step by step, where to create in Wix the records Acatudy asks for.

Before you start

• In Acatudy, go to My academy → General → Details & domain, type your address in Your own domain (for example www.brightpathtutoring.com) and click Add domain. A custom domain is included in Basic and Professional (1 domain) and Institutional (3 domains).
• Open How do I link my domain? on that card and keep it at hand: it shows your CNAME target (like brightpath.acatudy.com) and the IP address for a root domain.
• Wix states that it isn't possible to change the nameservers of a domain bought at Wix: you point it to an external site by editing its DNS records in your Wix account, which is exactly what this guide does. If the domain is still connected to a Wix site, that site stops loading on this domain once the records change.

Step 1. Open your DNS records at Wix

1. Open your domains

   Sign in to Wix and go to the Domains page.

2. Open the DNS records

   Click the Domain Actions icon next to your domain and select Manage DNS Records.

3. Add or edit a record

   Each record type has its own section (A (Host), CNAME (Aliases), TXT (Text)). Use + Add Record in the right section, then Save and Save Changes. To change a record, hover over it and click Edit; to remove it, use More Actions → Delete.

Step 2. Point www to your academy (CNAME)

Add this record (or edit the existing www record if there is one):

Wix's default www CNAME points to cdn1.wixdns.net. In CNAME (Aliases), edit that record and replace its Value with your academy address (Wix shows a notice first: click Got it). If you add a new one instead, delete the old www record afterwards to avoid a conflict, as Wix's guide asks.

Using another subdomain, such as learn? Use it as the name instead of www, and add that same address in Acatudy. With this CNAME no TXT record is needed.

Step 3. Remove records that get in the way

• Wix's default records are an A record on the root (blank Host Name) to 185.230.63.107 and the CNAME www to cdn1.wixdns.net. Edit or delete the one on the name you point to Acatudy.
• Wix's guide: delete any old A records after adding your new ones to avoid a conflict.
• Wix warns that deleting its default A and CNAME records can take your Wix site offline. That's expected if the academy replaces it.

Don't touch MX, SPF or DKIM records: they run your email.

Step 4 (optional). The root domain

brightpathtutoring.com (without www) and www.brightpathtutoring.com are one domain: if the root also points to Acatudy, it works on its own, redirects (301) to the address you added keeping the path, shares its HTTPS certificate and doesn't count as an extra domain. So you no longer need to forward the root to www from Wix.

Create the A record on the root

Since www already has the CNAME, the root doesn't need the TXT. Create this record, replacing any existing A record on the root:

Wix's help: when you're told to use @ as the Host Name, leave the field blank instead. Edit Wix's default A record (185.230.63.107) and replace its value with the IP from Acatudy, so only one A record remains. Wix doesn't document ALIAS records.

Prefer the root as your main address? Add brightpathtutoring.com in Acatudy instead of www, create the same A record and the TXT record (see below). If you also create the CNAME on www, www redirects to the root and the TXT isn't needed.

Step 5. Verify in Acatudy and get HTTPS

1. Wait for propagation

   Wix's help says DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, although they usually work much sooner. Leave the TTL at its default value.

2. Verification is automatic

   Acatudy checks pending domains every 10 minutes for 14 days. To check right away, click Verify on the Your own domain card: the badge changes from pending to verified.

3. HTTPS is automatic too

   Once verified, we issue a free Let's Encrypt certificate and renew it for you, usually within minutes (we retry every hour if the DNS isn't ready). There's nothing to install at Wix.

4. Check it yourself (optional)

   Run nslookup -type=CNAME www.brightpathtutoring.com in a terminal, or use Google's Admin Toolbox Dig: the answer should be your academy address.

The TXT record (required with an A record on the root)

If you use an A record on the root, Acatudy requires a TXT record to prove the domain is yours (the IP address is shared by all academies). With the CNAME on www you don't need it, not even for the root. The card shows its Host (e.g. _acatudy-verify.brightpathtutoring.com) and Value (acatudy-verify=…).

Use + Add Record in the TXT (Text) section. Wix shows the domain after the Host Name, so type it without .yourdomain.com.

Common problems at Wix

Still not verified after 24 hours, or verified without HTTPS? Open a ticket in Support from your panel with the domain and a screenshot of your DNS records at Wix (see Support and response times).

Official documentation and related guides

Wix official documentation consulted for this guide:

• Connecting a Wix domain to an external site
• Managing DNS records in your Wix account
• Adding or updating CNAME records
• Adding or updating A records
• Adding or updating TXT records
• Resetting your default A and CNAME records
• Unassigning a domain from your site

In Acatudy: Connect your domain: guides by provider (www vs root, nameservers, TTL and troubleshooting) and Connect your own domain.