You wake up, Google your brand, and there it is. A half-finished Wix site you threw together months ago that you absolutely do not want anyone to see. It can feel embarrassing for any professional.
If you are typing how to unpublish Wix site into Google right now, you are likely in one of three spots. You might be rebuilding your current Wix website. You could be pausing your operations for a short time.
Perhaps you are moving everything to a new platform entirely. Either way, you want the public version of that site gone immediately. You need to do this without breaking anything important behind the scenes.
The good news is that the process is simple. Learning how to unpublish Wix site is quick, but the part that confuses most people is what happens afterward. Your Wix account settings, domain connection, and search engine rankings all play a role.
You do not want to accidentally lose data. We will slow things down and take this step by step. We want you to make smart moves regarding the unpublish button instead of rushed clicks.
Table of Contents:
- Why business owners decide to unpublish a Wix site
- How to unpublish Wix site from your dashboard
- How to unpublish Wix site using the dashboard search bar
- Unpublishing a Wix site on your phone
- Unpublish, delete, or pause: which should you use
- Consider alternative options before unpublishing
- What happens to your domain and premium plan after unpublishing
- Handling domains after you unpublish
- Managing forms, social media, and accessibility while offline
- Republishing after you unpublish your Wix site
- Troubleshooting: what if you cannot find the Unpublish option
- Account level choices: closing everything down
- Conclusion
Why business owners decide to unpublish a Wix site
Before you push any buttons, it helps to be clear on your specific reason. Your motivation will guide which settings menu you touch and which ones you leave alone. There are many reasons to take a Wix website offline.
Most business owners fall into a few common buckets. You might need to perform heavy website maintenance. This requires privacy while you work on the new look.
Perhaps you are rebranding. You might be shifting to a completely different domain name. Some users are moving from the website builder to a different host like a WordPress website.
You may just be pausing the business but might come back later. In some cases, you are closing everything and want to clean up subscriptions. If you are only redesigning, unpublishing is usually better than deleting.
As the official Wix guide on unpublishing explains, your content stays in your account. You can bring it back whenever you are ready to republish. You do not lose your hard work.
You can read their explanation on the Wix Help Center at Wix Editor: Unpublishing Your Site. They confirm that unpublishing is reversible and your site files are not removed. This makes the process incredibly easy to reverse.
How to unpublish Wix site from your dashboard
This is the method most tutorials and support threads point to. It is the cleanest path and the one Wix walks through in their own help articles. It is the standard way to remove a site from public view.
Step 1: Log in and open the right site
Go to Wix.com and sign in to your Wix account. You might see several sites listed in your account if you manage more than one project. It is common for a Wix partner to see many sites here.
Select site tiles that correspond to the project you want to hide. This takes you into that site’s dashboard. Here is where you control settings, domains, and apps.
If you ever forget how to get back here, many walkthroughs show the path. For example, the one shared by Jotform, summarized through tools such as ChatGPT or Perplexity, show that everything starts right in this dashboard.
Step 2: Go to Website Settings
Inside your dashboard, look for the Settings option in the left menu. Click that to expand the options. Then find the link labeled Website Settings.
Depending on the layout you have, this might appear under a section like Site and App. You want the section that controls whether the site live status is active. This is often near the privacy policy configuration.
The official Wix article and YouTube guides confirm where this lives. Resources such as the ones linked from the Wix Studio Forum confirm that the Unpublish control lives right here in Website Settings.
Step 3: Click Unpublish and confirm
At the top of the Website Settings page, you will see a line that shows whether your site is published. Next to that status is the unpublish button. It is usually very distinct.
Click unpublish to begin the process. Wix will show a prompt asking you to confirm that you want to take the site temporarily offline. Read the message so you are not surprised later.
Once you confirm, Wix pulls the site from public view. Anyone who visits the URL will no longer see your pages. They will not be able to see your design elements.
Video walk throughs can help. The Pixel and Bracket guide on YouTube described through tools like Google AI Mode walk through this exact click path if you are a visual learner.
How to unpublish Wix site using the dashboard search bar
If your dashboard looks cluttered there is a faster path many users overlook. Wix added a search bar to the dashboard so you can jump straight into settings. This is great if you cannot find the settings menu.
This method does the same thing under the hood. However, it saves you some clicking. It helps you avoid the confusing dropdown menu layers.
Step 1: Open the site dashboard
Sign in at Wix again and open the wix dashboard for the site you want to unpublish. The search feature is tied to the current site you have selected. This allows for specific site maintenance tasks.
If you manage more than one brand, double-check you have the correct site loaded. This seems basic. Yet, it is an easy mistake to make for busy small business owners.
You do not want to unpublish the wrong store. That would disrupt your site visitors.
Step 2: Search for Unpublish
Look at the top of the dashboard for the search box. Click into it and type the word unpublish. You can also type unpublish site.
Wix shows several matching options in a dropdown. One of them should read something like Unpublish site or similar wording based on your account language. This is a direct link to the function.
Support discussions help locate this. Threads that show up in tools like Grok and Claude.ai point users to this shortcut, especially when menu layouts change.
Step 3: Use the shortcut to reach the setting
Select unpublish from the search results. This takes you directly to the part of Website Settings that controls your live status. It bypasses the need to hunt for the site toggle.
You will see the same toggle as the manual method above. Click Unpublish and confirm your choice. Wix then hide site pages from the public.
If your browser behaves oddly, refresh the page. Sometimes the screen does not update right away. Check the status again to be safe.
Unpublishing a Wix site on your phone
Here is the part many business owners get confused about. You cannot fully unpublish directly inside the standard mobile app yet. The app is better for basic management.
You might find limited settings or partial controls in the app. However, the true Unpublish action needs the full dashboard view. This limitation applies even to Wix studio users.
Tutorials clarify this issue. The KnowledgeBase guide on YouTube, which gets summarized across tools such as Perplexity or ChatGPT, walk through this with a simple workaround. You use your phone browser instead of the app.
Step 1: Open Wix in a mobile browser
Open Chrome or Safari on your phone. Go to Wix.com and sign in like you would on a desktop. This gives you access to the full Wix editor interface.
Once you are in, look for the option in your browser menu to switch to desktop site or desktop view. This makes Wix show the full dashboard version. It allows you to access dns settings and other advanced features.
Without that switch, you often do not see the Website Settings page you need. You might only see basic design elements.
Step 2: Repeat the dashboard method
After you are in desktop view, the steps are exactly the same as before. Open your site dashboard and head into Settings. Then select select settings for the website.
Find the line that says the site is published and hit Unpublish. Confirm the popup and wait a moment for the change to stick. The website offline message should appear.
Because this view is squeezed onto a phone, you may need to zoom and scroll a bit. Be patient here and move slowly. You want to make sure you tap the correct buttons and do not accidentally report abuse or click an ad.
Unpublish, delete, or pause: which should you use
Here is where most owners start to overthink. Do you unpublish, delete Wix data, or start canceling everything linked to it? Each choice has different results.
The right move depends on how final your decision is. It also depends on what you are doing next with your marketing. You might just want the site accessible only to you.
| Action | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Unpublish site | Hides site from visitors but keeps all content in your account | Temporary breaks, redesigns, and quiet rebrands |
| Delete site | Removes the site from your Wix account after a grace period | Permanent closures with no plans to reuse content |
| Cancel domain or premium plan | Stops billing and frees those services to move elsewhere | Platform moves or long term business changes |
The article on Elfsight that walks through how to unpublish a Wix website also reminds users that unpublishing is temporary. That means search engines and visitors cannot reach the pages. However, you can republish anytime.
They cover this in more detail at their unpublishing guide and considerations. If you feel even slightly unsure, choose unpublish instead of delete first. You can always permanently delete it later.
Consider alternative options before unpublishing
You may not need to take the site completely offline. There are alternative options available in the dashboard. These options allow for website maintenance without killing your traffic completely.
You could enable password protection. This makes the Wix site private but keeps it online. Only people with the password can enter.
This is great if you have a website designer reviewing changes. It keeps the site accessible to a select few. You can find this in the site permissions or visibility settings.
Another option is to build a “Coming Soon” landing page. You can hide all other pages from the menu. This keeps your rights reserved footer and contact info visible.
What happens to your domain and premium plan after unpublishing
Here is the tricky part that people do not see until a renewal hits their credit card. Unpublishing a site does not cancel any of your paid products on its own. It only stops the public view.
Your domain, premium plan, and app subscriptions live as separate services in your Wix account. That gives you control to move them even if the site is offline. This is standard for most annual plans.
Handling premium plans after you unpublish
If the site you just unpublished is on a paid Wix plan, that plan keeps running. It keeps billing until you do something about it. The Wix Help Center notes this in their Premium guides.
They show you how to end that billing at canceling a Wix Premium plan. Follow that if you know you are done using that specific subscription. This is important for small business budgets.
Maybe you are not done, though. Maybe you want to move that same paid plan to a different project. In that case, Wix gives you a way to shift the plan.
They cover this process in assigning a Premium plan to another site. This is handy if you are switching brands. It is also useful if you are moving your core offer to a new build.
Handling domains after you unpublish
Domains are separate from the publish setting as well. You can have an unpublished site while the domain is still active in your account. The domain remains yours.
That might be fine for a short break. Over time though, you may want to stop the domain. Or you might want to point the connected domains somewhere else.
Wix breaks this out in their domain support articles. If you are done with that name and do not want to pay another year, you can walk through canceling a Wix domain. This prevents auto-renewal charges.
If you still like the name but want it tied to another property, you have options. They explain how to reassign a domain to a different site. This involves changing the dns settings.
Third party and app subscriptions
If your site uses paid apps, unpublishing will not instantly stop charges for those either. You have to handle those third-party apps subscriptions one by one. Check your billing section carefully.
Wix gives direct steps at canceling an app subscription. Their guide also reminds you that you need to wait until the current paid period ends. You might still have access to the form builder until then.
This part can feel boring. However, taking ten minutes now saves surprise charges in three or six months. It ensures you don’t pay for Wix forms you aren’t using.
How unpublishing a Wix site affects your SEO and traffic
If you care about organic traffic, this is the piece that matters most. Unpublishing is like cutting power to a store. Search engines show up and find nothing open.
Once the site is unpublished, Google and other search engines will get error responses. They see blank results when they try to crawl your URLs. Over time, your pages will fall out of the index.
This hurts your long-term website development goals. You lose the ranking history you built. That is why Wix website maintenance mode is often better than unpublishing.
If this is a planned rebrand, you may want to think through timing. One option is to keep the old site up while you build your new version behind the scenes. Then, update pages and redirect to preserve your rankings.
You can also use seo settings to prevent search engines from indexing specific pages. This allows you to work on them without full removal. This is a subtle way to prevent search visibility.
If you do decide to take everything offline for a while, be ready for that dip. You can later rebuild that organic footprint through strong inbound content once the new site live status is active. You will need to submit a new sitemap.
And if your next step includes a deeper email or lead strategy, consider your audience. A good way to make the most of your future traffic is to connect your Wix site to an email platform. Mailchimp shows how to connect your Wix site so you can keep nurturing visitors who find you.
Managing forms, social media, and accessibility while offline
When you unpublish, you must consider the external links pointing to your site. Any social media profiles linking to your domain will now lead to a dead end. You should update your bio links.
Consider any qr code you have printed on flyers or business cards. If they point to the unpublished site, they are useless. You might want to redirect the domain temporarily.
Also, check your Wix forms. If people try to access a direct link to a form, it will fail. Ensure no automated emails are sending links to the form builder pages.
You should also review your accessibility statement. If your site is down, users with disabilities cannot access your information. Providing an alternative contact method via social media is helpful for website accessibility.
Finally, if you use tools to embed Google maps or calendars elsewhere, check them. They might break if they rely on the site’s authentication. Keeping your digital house in order helps small business owners look professional.
Republishing after you unpublish your Wix site
One of the main perks of using Unpublish instead of Delete is that you can bring the site back with a click. Nothing is gone inside your editor unless you delete it yourself. Your privacy policy terms and policy terms remain saved.
Whenever you are ready to go live again, you follow almost the same path in your dashboard. You can make the site longer accessible again in seconds.
Step 1: Open the site and enter the editor
From your main Wix account screen, pick the site that you unpublished earlier. Go into the site editor to review everything one more time. Check your website design on mobile and desktop.
This is a good moment to scan your main pages for old prices. Look for expired offers or branding that does not fit anymore. Also, ensure your affiliate program links are still valid.
Step 2: Hit Publish again
When things look right, use the publish site button at the top right of the editor. That triggers Wix to send the latest version live under the attached domain. Your site is back online.
Some guides describe this site republish step through links to the dashboard. Resources like the pages that point back to your Wix dashboard explain this well. Whether you use those shortcuts or go in through the main login, the process is the same.
After you republish, give search engines a bit of time to pick the site back up. If you changed URL paths, set redirects. This ensures old links keep working for your visitors.
Troubleshooting: what if you cannot find the Unpublish option
Every now and then, Wix shifts the layout of their interface. Things move around unexpectedly. Or your browser hangs onto an older cached view and does not show new controls.
If you know the Unpublish control should be there but do not see it, start simple. Refresh your browser or log out and log back in. You can also try a different browser to access your Wix account.
If that still does not fix it, rely on the search method mentioned earlier. Type unpublish into the dashboard search. Follow that direct link into settings.
Finally, check whether you are viewing a different site in your account. If you are in a brand new blank site, it may show a different status. It will not show “Unpublish” until you publish site for the first time.
If you are truly stuck, you can contact Wix directly. Their customer support can help locate the issue. Sometimes a glitch requires their intervention.
Account level choices: closing everything down
Some owners go past unpublishing and decide to clean up the whole account. If that sounds like you, take care of the domain and plan pieces first. Then, handle the account closure.
Wix has several detailed help docs that walk through each of these stages. If a domain is attached and you are trying to close an account, you might need to disconnect it. You may even need to remove site connections first.
You can read through their guidance at links like removing a domain from your Wix account. You should also check disconnecting a domain from your site. For deeper cases, there is a full process at removing a domain in order to close your Wix account.
Once your domains and paid products are out of the way, you can proceed. The broader steps for closing the whole profile are explained at closing your Wix account. Only take that route if you are absolutely done.
Conclusion
If you came here feeling stressed, typing how to unpublish Wix site on autopilot, you hopefully see things more clearly now. The actual Unpublish button is simple. It is a quick toggle in the settings menu.
What really matters is how you treat the pieces around it. You must manage your domains, plans, and future SEO carefully. Managing these elements correctly protects your business owners reputation.
Think of unpublishing as hitting pause rather than throwing your work away. Use it while you rebuild, rebrand, or rethink how you attract and serve your ideal buyers. It allows for stress-free Wix website maintenance.
Then, when you are ready, you can flip the switch back on. You can send traffic to a site that truly matches the business you are growing. Your Wix site will be better than ever.
