Website Stuck in Maintenance Mode: How to Force WordPress Back Online After a Failed Update

Web Hosting & Website Management KB-1154

Summary

This guide helps you troubleshoot and resolve: Website Stuck in Maintenance Mode: How to Force WordPress Back Online After a Failed Update. Follow the steps below to fix the issue.

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Common Causes

WordPress automatically places your site into maintenance mode during plugin, theme, or core updates. If an update is interrupted or fails, WordPress may not remove the maintenance file, leaving your website stuck with a "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance" message. This guide explains how to force your WordPress site back online.

Quick Fix Steps

Connect to your hosting account via FTP or File Manager.
Locate and delete the .maintenance file in your root directory.
Refresh your website in a browser to confirm it is back online.

Detailed Instructions

Using FTP

Open your FTP client (such as FileZilla) and connect to your server using your hosting credentials.
Navigate to your website's root directory. This is typically public_html or www.
Look for a hidden file named .maintenance. If you do not see it, enable the option to show hidden files in your FTP client settings.
Right-click .maintenance and select Delete.
Disconnect from the server and visit your website to verify it is loading correctly.

Using cPanel File Manager

Log in to your cPanel account.
In the Files section, click File Manager.
Select Web Root (public_html/www) and ensure Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) is checked, then click Go.
Locate the .maintenance file in the list.
Right-click the file and select Delete, or click the Delete icon in the top toolbar.
Confirm the deletion and refresh your website in your browser.

Troubleshooting

Site still shows maintenance mode

If deleting .maintenance does not resolve the issue, your site may be stuck due to a caching plugin or server-side cache.

Clear your browser cache and try accessing the site in an incognito or private window.
If you use a caching plugin, log in to your WordPress dashboard at yourdomain.com/wp-admin and clear all caches.
If you use a CDN such as Cloudflare, purge the cache from your CDN dashboard.

Unable to access WordPress admin

If you cannot log in to /wp-admin after removing the maintenance file, a plugin may be causing a conflict.

Connect via FTP or cPanel File Manager.
Navigate to wp-content/plugins.
Rename the folder of the plugin you were updating when the failure occurred (for example, rename plugin-name to plugin-name.old).
Attempt to log in to your WordPress dashboard again.
Once logged in, go to Plugins > Installed Plugins and reactivate or update the plugin as needed.

File permissions

After deleting the .maintenance file, ensure your WordPress files have the correct permissions. Files should typically be 644 and directories 755. Incorrect permissions can prevent WordPress from functioning properly.

Note: Before running updates on a live production site, always create a full backup of your website files and database. This ensures you can restore quickly if an update is interrupted.

Warning: Do not delete core WordPress files or folders such as wp-admin or wp-includes. Only remove the .maintenance file and plugin or theme folders if you are certain they are causing the issue.

If your website remains offline after following these steps, Open a Ticket with our support team for further assistance.

Still Having Issues?

Need more help? If the issue persists after trying these steps, please open a support ticket and our team will assist you.

💻 Open a Ticket