How to Fix WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode

WordPress is a free, open-source content management system supported by developers around the world. Regular updates are released to patch issues, introduce new tools, and strengthen security. When an update runs, WordPress temporarily puts your site into maintenance mode. Occasionally, the process may freeze, leaving your website displaying the message: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute,” and making your site unavailable for longer than expected.

In this tutorial, we will discuss the reasons WordPress can get stuck in maintenance mode, show how to resolve it quickly, and share tips to prevent it from happening again.

Why Does the “Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance” Error Occur?

This notice shows up when WordPress enters maintenance mode, which happens automatically while updating the core system, plugins, or themes. This mode prevents visitors from seeing broken pages, and WordPress creates a temporary .maintenance file to display the message. Normally, the file is removed once the update finishes.

However, the site can get stuck in maintenance mode if an update is interrupted, or if there are issues like low server memory, slow server response, or plugin/theme conflicts. As a result, WordPress may fail to remove the .maintenance file, leaving your site showing the maintenance message even after the update is complete:

Fix WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode 

When a WordPress site remains in maintenance mode, resolving it requires deleting the .maintenance file from the site’s root directory. This can be done through an FTP program or the File Manager in your hosting dashboard. 

To fix the issue, connect to your website using either an FTP client or the hosting panel’s File Manager, then locate and remove the .maintenance file manually. Then navigate to the main WordPress folder (usually public_html), where the wp-config.php file is located, and look for the .maintenance file. 

Remember that files beginning with a dot are usually hidden. If you cannot find it, turn on the setting to display hidden files in your server or File Manager:

After finding the maintenance file, right-click on it and choose the Delete option. After removing it, your website should immediately come out of maintenance mode:

To ensure your site loads correctly, don’t forget to clear your browser cache, any caching plugins, and server-level caches.

Alternatively, you can fix it directly through your cPanel account. To do this, first, log in to your cPanel account, and then navigate to the File Manager under the Files section:

Open the folder where WordPress is installed. Typically, this is the public_html folder or the directory holding your website files:

Next, open File Manager, go to Settings in the top-right corner, enable ‘Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)’, and save your changes:

Then, find the .maintenance file, right-click it, and choose Delete. Once removed, refresh your website in a browser to confirm it loads properly:

Open your website in a browser. It should now be live and out of maintenance mode.

If the problem persists, it may result from an unsuccessful update of a plugin or theme. You can resolve this by updating them manually or temporarily disabling them via FTP. In some cases, restoring your website from a recent backup can help if the site still doesn’t load correctly.

Tips to Avoid “WordPress Stuck Maintenance Mode” Error in the Future

To keep your WordPress site from freezing in maintenance mode in the future, make sure not to stop updates while they are in progress. Make sure to update plugins or themes one at a time instead of all at once, as multiple simultaneous updates can increase the risk of errors. Additionally, ensure that your hosting account has enough memory and server resources to handle updates smoothly, which helps reduce the chances of scripts timing out or failing during the process.

Wrapping Up

WordPress getting stuck in maintenance mode is usually caused by interrupted updates, plugin or theme conflicts, or limited server resources. You can easily disable WP maintenance mode and fix WP maintenance error by manually deleting the .maintenance file from your WordPress root directory and clearing any caches. To prevent this problem in the future, update plugins and themes one at a time, avoid interrupting updates, and ensure your server has enough memory and resources to handle updates smoothly.

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