Wix Editor Overview: A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Navigating and Using Wix Basic Editor
- Emily Thomas
- May 22
- 7 min read
Before you start building your Wix website, it’s important to understand the tools you’ll be using—and that’s exactly what this video is all about.
In this walkthrough, I’ll give you a guided tour of the Wix Basic Editor, showing you where everything is and what each tool does. No editing or designing just yet—this is your chance to get familiar with the layout and features so you feel confident before diving into your site build.
Welcome to an in-depth tutorial on the Wix Basic Editor, a powerful and user-friendly website building tool that has been a favorite of mine for many years. Whether you're just getting started with Wix or looking to deepen your understanding of its interface and features, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the Wix Editor. From the toolbar at the top to managing pages and exploring advanced features like CMS, I’ll share insights, tips, and tricks to help you build and customize your website with confidence.
Getting to Know the Wix Basic Editor Interface
The Wix Basic Editor is distinct from Wix Studio, which is a newer platform I’ve also explored and love. However, my passion remains with the Wix Editor because of its longevity and ease of use. Let’s dive into what you’ll see when you first open the editor.
At the very top of the editor, you'll find the main toolbar — a central hub for many essential tools and options.
Search Bar: This feature is incredibly handy when you’re hunting for specific elements or functions in your site. If you ever feel lost, just type what you need here.
Tools Menu: Here you can toggle grid lines, rulers, and snap-to-object settings. I often keep grid lines and snap-to-objects enabled because they help maintain alignment and structure in my design.
Zoom Controls: Zoom in and out to get a closer look or a broad overview of your page. Note that while zoomed out, you can’t move elements, but it’s great for seeing your entire layout.
The grid lines act as visual guides, helping you keep your content neatly within the design boundaries. Snap-to-objects ensures that as you move elements around, they automatically align with other objects or the page edges, which is a lifesaver when your eyeballs aren’t quite sure if things look straight.
Zooming is another useful feature. When you zoom out, you lose the ability to drag elements, but it’s a perfect way to see your entire page at once, especially when working with sections, which we’ll discuss shortly.
Understanding Desktop and Mobile Views
One of the critical aspects of modern web design is ensuring your site looks great on both desktop and mobile devices. Wix makes this easy by letting you toggle between desktop and mobile views right in the editor.
In the top toolbar, you’ll see an option to switch views:
Desktop View: This is the default editing mode where you design how your site will appear on larger screens.
Mobile View: Switching here allows you to customize the mobile version of your site, ensuring it looks good and functions well on smartphones and tablets.
It’s important to check your site in both views regularly to make sure your content is responsive and well-optimized for all users.
Managing Pages Efficiently
Every website is made up of multiple pages, and Wix provides straightforward tools to manage these pages.
On the left side of the editor, you’ll find the pages panel.
Clicking here reveals all the pages on your site. There’s also a “Manage Pages” option that dives deeper into page settings.
Accessing Pages: Click on any page name to jump directly to edit that page.
Page Settings: Using the three-dot menu next to each page, you can access a variety of settings, such as SEO options, page permissions, and more.
Managing pages effectively is essential, especially as your site grows. I’ll be covering detailed page management in future tutorials, but for now, just know this is your go-to spot for controlling your site’s structure.
Exploring the Wix Icon and Dashboard
At the very top left of the editor, you’ll see the Wix icon. Clicking this takes you back to your Wix dashboard, the central hub for all your sites, billing, and account settings.
While editing, you also have quick access to:
Site Menu: A pop-out menu with options related to your site.
Preview: Preview your site exactly as visitors will see it.
Get Client Feedback: Share your site with clients or collaborators for input.
These tools streamline your workflow, helping you switch between editing, previewing, and managing feedback without leaving the editor.
Settings, Dev Mode, and Help
Next up in the toolbar are some more advanced options:
Settings: This section gives you access to many options typically found in the dashboard, like SEO, social share settings, and more.
Dev Mode (Velo): If you’re comfortable with coding, you can enable Dev Mode to add custom functionality. However, if you’re new or prefer a no-code approach, it’s best to keep this off to avoid confusion.
Help: Wix offers built-in help, which can be hit or miss depending on your needs. Sometimes it’s very useful, other times not so much.
Personally, I rarely use Dev Mode because I prefer the creative side of web design without the hassle of coding. But it’s great that Wix offers this for those who want it.
Saving, Previewing, and Publishing Your Site
One of the biggest comforts when working in Wix is its auto-save feature. Your work is saved frequently, so you don’t have to worry about losing progress.
Still, there are explicit buttons to:
Save: Manually save your progress at any time.
Preview: View your site as visitors will see it, without the editor interface.
Publish: Make your site live on the web when you’re ready.
My usual workflow is to save often, especially when doing a site rebrand or major overhaul. I keep saving and tweaking until everything feels just right, then hit publish to share it with the world.
Let's Break Down Each Section of the Tool Bar on the Left of the Editor
Adding Elements: Building Blocks of Your Site
On the left side, you’ll find the “Add Elements” toolbar. This is where you can add all the components that make up your site:
Text boxes
Images
Buttons
Forms
And many more
Each element is customizable, letting you tailor your site’s look and functionality. We’ll explore each of these in more detail in upcoming posts.
Working with Sections: The Foundation of Wix Pages
Wix structures its pages using sections, which are vertical blocks that organize your content. Sections make it easy to manage different parts of a page independently.
For example, on a catering website template I use, each section might represent a different menu category or a testimonial block.
Sections can be moved around, duplicated, or deleted, giving you flexibility in how your page flows. I’ve learned a lot about sections over the last year, and mastering them is key to efficient Wix site design.
Site Design and Themes
Unlike some platforms, Wix doesn’t let you switch templates once your site is live. However, you can change the overall theme to adjust colors, fonts, and other design elements.
This lets you keep your structure while refreshing your site’s look.
Changing themes is a fun way to experiment with your site’s vibe without starting from scratch.
Exploring the Wix App Market
The Wix App Market offers a variety of apps to extend your site’s functionality. From ecommerce tools to booking systems and marketing integrations, there’s a lot to choose from.
I tend to stick with native Wix apps because they’re reliable and well integrated, but there are many third-party options to explore.
As I discover apps I love, I’ll be sure to share recommendations to help you get the most out of your Wix site.
Business Settings and Media Management
If you add ecommerce features or forms, business settings will appear in your editor where you can configure payments, shipping, and more.
The media tab is where you can manage your images, videos, and other files, though I usually add media directly through the “Add Elements” toolbar for speed.
Harnessing the Power of Wix CMS (Content Management System)
One of the most exciting features in Wix is the CMS, which lets you create dynamic content collections. This is perfect for sites with many similar pages, like portfolios, product catalogs, or, in my example, a Yorkie dog website.
Instead of creating a separate page for each dog, the CMS uses a master template and fills in the data from a collection, similar to an Excel spreadsheet.
This approach saves enormous time and effort and keeps your site organized. Just keep in mind that Wix Editor has a 100-page limit, so using CMS helps you stay well within that boundary while still offering rich content.
Templates vs. Starting from Scratch
For many years, I started every Wix site with a template. Templates are a fantastic way to jumpstart your project with a professionally designed layout.
However, in recent years I’ve begun building sites from scratch more often. This gives me full control over every detail and lets me create exactly what I envision.
If you’re interested, I also offer a collection of templates I’ve designed myself, which you can purchase and customize to save time.
Wrapping Up and Next Steps
This overview covered the essential parts of the Wix Basic Editor, from the toolbar and page management to advanced features like CMS and app integrations. Mastering these basics sets the foundation for building professional, beautiful websites.
In upcoming tutorials, we’ll dive deeper into working with sections, customizing elements, and optimizing your site’s design and functionality.
Thanks for following along, and I look forward to helping you create Wix websites with ease!