WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode? Here’s How to Fix It Fast

It is the moment every website owner dreads. You hit “update” on a plugin or theme, wait a few seconds, and then refresh your site—only to see a plain white screen with a stark message:

“Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”

Five minutes pass. Then ten. The message doesn’t go away.

If your WordPress site is stuck in maintenance mode, don’t panic. Your site isn’t broken, and you haven’t lost your data. It is simply locked in a temporary state that failed to clear itself.

In this guide, we will cover exactly why this happens and, more importantly, how to fix it in under 5 minutes.

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Why Is WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode?

To understand the fix, it helps to understand the cause.

When you update WordPress core, themes, or plugins, the system temporarily puts your site into “maintenance mode” to ensure files aren’t being modified while they are being downloaded. To do this, WordPress creates a temporary file called .maintenance in your site’s root folder.

Usually, the process looks like this:

1. You click update.

2. WordPress creates the .maintenance file.

3. The update installs.

4. WordPress deletes the .maintenance file.

5. Your site returns to normal.

The problem occurs when step 4 fails.

If your browser is closed during an update, the server times out, or a plugin conflict occurs, the script stops before it can delete that file. The result? Your wordpress stuck in maintenance mode after update nightmare begins.

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Method 1: The Quick Fix (Delete the .maintenance file)

This is the solution for 99% of cases. You simply need to manually delete the file that WordPress forgot to remove.

Step 1: Access Your Site Files

You can do this in two ways:

• FTP Client: Use a tool like FileZilla.

• cPanel File Manager: Access this through your hosting provider (Bluehost, SiteGround, GoDaddy, etc.).

Step 2: Locate the Root Directory

Navigate to the public_html folder (or the folder where your WordPress site is installed). This is the same folder that contains wp-config.php and wp-content.

Step 3: Delete the File

Look for a file named .maintenance.

1. Right-click the file.

2. Select Delete.

Note: If you cannot see the file, ensure you have enabled “Show Hidden Files” in your FTP client or File Manager settings. Dot-files (files starting with a period) are often hidden by default.

Step 4: Refresh Your Site

Go back to your website and refresh the page. The error should be gone, and your site should be live again.

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Method 2: WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode No .maintenance File?

A common search query we see is: “wordpress stuck in maintenance mode no .maintenance file”.

If you have checked your root folder (and ensured hidden files are visible) but still can’t find the .maintenance file, yet your site is still showing the error, the issue might be cached or related to a plugin.

1. Clear Your Browser Cache

sometimes the “Briefly unavailable” page is just stuck in your local browser cache. Try opening your site in an Incognito/Private window.

2. Check for maintenance.php

Some hosting providers or maintenance plugins create a file called maintenance.php in the wp-content folder. If you find this file, try renaming it to maintenance_old.php to see if the site loads.

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How to Prevent Getting Stuck in the Future

While you can’t avoid updates forever, you can minimize the risk of a wordpress plugin update stuck in maintenance mode.

• Don’t close the tab: When running updates, keep the browser tab open until you see the “Success” message.

• Update plugins individually: Instead of clicking “Update All,” try updating plugins one by one. This reduces the load on your server and prevents timeouts.

• Check compatibility: Ensure your plugins are compatible with your current version of WordPress before updating.

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Summary

Seeing your site locked down can be scary, but fixing a wordpress site stuck in maintenance mode is usually as simple as deleting a single file.

Recap of the fix:

1. Connect to your site via FTP or File Manager.

2. Find the .maintenance file in the root folder.

3. Delete it.

4. Clear your cache and refresh.

Now that your site is back online, you can get back to business!