How to fix WordPress stuck in maintenance mode
If your WordPress site is stuck in maintenance mode, don’t worry, it happens.
WordPress’ automatic update system has a built-in maintenance mode that is activated whenever you update WordPress core, themes, or plugins.
In most cases, the handoff between “maintenance mode” and “working site” takes just a few seconds, and you don’t even realize your site was in maintenance.
However, sometimes things do go wrong. Here are some potential causes:
- Automatically updating multiple plugins at once
- A compatibility problem leads to a fatal 500 error
- Low server resources (RAM, CPU) lead to timeouts
As a result, the following notice appears each time you visit your website:
Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.
No need to panic, there’s an easy fix.
As soon as WordPress places itself in maintenance mode, it creates a temporary file titled “.maintenance” in the root folder.
It’s the same folder that contains:
- wp-admin folder
- wp-content folder
- wp-includes folder
- wp-config.php
- etc…
The problem can be resolved by connecting to your site via FTP, finding the “.maintenance” file, and deleting it.
We recommend using the free Filezilla client.
Need help with the process? Let us quickly handle it for you.
Your site should work normally after deleting that file. Additionally, you should clear the cache on your WordPress site.
The upgrade should be repeated again if the failure wasn’t due to a compatibility issue.
How to prevent getting stuck in WordPress maintenance mode
As previously stated, being stuck in maintenance mode is typically caused by slow server response times or low memory issues with your hosting provider.
To avoid this situation, simply upgrade to a higher hosting plan or a managed WordPress hosting provider with superior performance.
We recommend getting Cloudways with Digital Ocean it’s excellent, easily scalable if needed, very fast, the same platform our demos and IDX Hosted Website plans are on, free migration, and great customer support.
You can spin up a 2GB server from them starting at $22/month, and we also have a coupon code for 20% off your first 2 months use “CONTEMPO20”.
If you are unable to upgrade to a better hosting plan or provider, it’s best to perform any plugin or theme updates one at a time rather than in bulk.
We understand that updating all of your WordPress plugins at once may save you time.
However, even the smallest connection delay can cause your site to get stuck in maintenance mode.
Need help with updates and site maintenance? Let us quickly handle it for you.