How to Fix a WordPress Website Stuck in Maintenance Mode: A Step-by-Step Guide

When updating plugins, themes, or WordPress itself, the platform automatically enters maintenance mode to ensure everything is updated smoothly. However, sometimes WordPress can get stuck in maintenance mode, leaving your website inaccessible with the message: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”

If your WordPress website is stuck in maintenance mode, don’t panic! This guide will walk you through the causes and step-by-step solutions to get your site back up and running.

Why Does WordPress Get Stuck in Maintenance Mode?

WordPress creates a temporary .maintenance file in your website’s root directory during updates. When the update is complete, this file should automatically delete itself. However, if the update is interrupted, such as by slow server performance, loss of connection, or timeout issues, the .maintenance file may not get removed, leaving your site stuck in maintenance mode.

Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing WordPress Stuck in Maintenance Mode

Step 1: Access Your Website’s Root Directory

To fix the issue, you will need access to your website’s files. This can be done through:

• FTP Client (e.g., FileZilla): Access your WordPress files using an FTP client.
• File Manager in Your Hosting Control Panel: If you’re using a hosting service like cPanel, you can access the file manager directly from your account.

How to Access via FTP:

1. Download and install an FTP client like FileZilla.
2. Connect to your server using your FTP credentials (available in your hosting account).
3. Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress installation (usually named public_html or the name of your site).

Step 2: Locate and Delete the .maintenance File

Once you’re in the root directory of your WordPress site, you need to find the .maintenance file that WordPress creates during updates.

• How to Find the .maintenance File:

• 1. In your root directory, look for a hidden file called .maintenance.
  2. If you don’t see the file, ensure your FTP client or file manager is set to show hidden files.
  3. Delete the .maintenance file.

Deleting this file will remove WordPress from maintenance mode, and your website should be accessible again.

Step 3: Clear WordPress Cache

After removing the .maintenance file, it’s essential to clear your website’s cache to ensure the old maintenance mode message doesn’t persist in the cached version of your site.

• How to Clear Cache in WordPress:

• 1. If you’re using a caching plugin (e.g., W3 Total Cache or WP Super Cache), clear the cache via the plugin settings.
  2. If you don’t have a caching plugin, clear your browser cache and refresh the website to check if it’s back to normal.

Step 4: Check for Pending Updates

If your website got stuck in maintenance mode due to an interrupted update, there might still be pending updates that weren’t applied successfully. You should complete these updates to avoid the issue from reoccurring.

• How to Check for Pending Updates:

• 1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Navigate to Dashboard > Updates.
  3. If any plugins, themes, or core updates are still pending, complete them manually.
  4. Ensure you have a stable internet connection and avoid navigating away while the update is in progress to prevent interruptions.

Step 5: Increase PHP Memory Limit and Timeout Settings

If your WordPress website frequently gets stuck in maintenance mode during updates, it could be due to limited PHP memory or timeout issues.

• How to Increase PHP Memory Limit:

• 1. Access your WordPress root directory via FTP or file manager.
  2. Open the wp-config.php file for editing.
  3. Add the following line just before the line that says /* That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */:

define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);

• 1. Save the file and close it.

Increasing the memory limit to 256MB should help prevent future maintenance mode issues during updates.

Step 6: Use a Staging Environment for Updates

To minimize downtime and prevent your website from getting stuck in maintenance mode during updates, it’s a good practice to use a staging environment. A staging environment is a clone of your live site where you can test updates before applying them to your actual site.

• How to Create a Staging Site:

• 1. Many managed WordPress hosting providers, like SiteGround, WP Engine, or Kinsta, offer one-click staging environments.
  2. Once the updates are tested and work fine in the staging environment, you can apply them to the live site without issues.

Preventing WordPress from Getting Stuck in Maintenance Mode Again

While the steps above will get your website out of maintenance mode, it’s essential to prevent it from happening again. Here are some tips to avoid future issues:

1. Update Plugins, Themes, and WordPress Regularly: Keeping everything updated reduces the risk of compatibility issues.
2. Ensure a Stable Internet Connection: Avoid updating your site over a slow or unstable connection.
3. Backup Your Website: Before making any updates, always create a backup of your site in case something goes wrong.
4. Limit Simultaneous Updates: When updating multiple plugins or themes, update them one at a time to reduce the load on your server and prevent timeouts.

Conclusion

Getting your WordPress website stuck in maintenance mode can be frustrating, but following the steps in this guide should help you quickly resolve the issue and get your site back online. By deleting the .maintenance file, clearing your cache, and ensuring a stable update process, you can minimize downtime and avoid future problems.