Is your WordPress site stuck in maintenance mode? Don't worry, information technology happens. Every CMS has it's own lilliputian weird hiccups that happen and this is ane unique to WordPress. In this article, nosotros'll show you a quick method for how you lot can manually pull WordPress out of maintenance mode in the outcome that your site gets stuck in maintenance mode. We'll cover the post-obit:

  • Why you lot're seeing the maintenance mode bulletin
  • How to fix the WordPress stuck in maintenance mode
  • Some tips to prevent problems in the futurity

WordPress site stuck in maintenance mode? No worries, here's how to fix information technology. 👍 Click to Tweet

What Causes WordPress to Get Stuck in Maintenance Mode?

Every bit function of its automated update organization, WordPress has a built-in maintenance mode that it activates whenever you lot update your software, themes, or plugins from the WordPress dashboard. You tin see a message addressing this in the WordPress update interface whenever you run an update:

wordpress maintenance mode process
WordPress maintenance manner example

Most of the time, the handoff from "maintenance mode" to "working site" takes just a few seconds and you never fifty-fifty know your site was in maintenance mode.

Merely sometimes things exercise go wrong. Some potential causes are:

  • You lot accidentally close your browser tab in the middle of an automatic update
  • You're trying to automatically update a huge number of plugins/themes at in one case
  • There's a compatibility problem that causes a glitch

As a outcome, yous persistently see this message when you attempt to visit your site:

Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check dorsum in a minute.

Example of WordPress maintenance mode
Example of WordPress maintenance mode

If you lot're seeing that message, there'due south an easy fix.

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How to Fix WordPress Stuck In Maintenance Style

When WordPress puts itself into maintenance mode, information technology does and then by creating a file named ".maintenance" in the root binder of your WordPress site. This is the same binder that contains:

  • wp-admin folder
  • wp-config.php

To fix the WordPress stuck in maintenance manner trouble, you'll need to connect to your server via FTP and delete that file. If you're hosting at Kinsta, you lot can read this article for how to connect to your site via SFTP. In one case you've continued to your site via FTP, find the ".maintenance" file in your root folder and delete it:

Delete .maintenance file from root directory
Delete .maintenance file from root directory

Once you lot delete that file, your site should function equally normal. It is also recommended that you clear the cache on your WordPress site. If yous are a Kinsta customer you can clear the cache right from within the MyKinsta dashboard or the admin toolbar of your WordPress dashboard (if you accept access).

Assuming the failure wasn't a result of a compatibility result, y'all should run the upgrade again to ensure your site is running the latest version.

How To Forestall WordPress From Getting Stuck In Maintenance Mode

While the issue is adequately elementary to fix, y'all can still take some positive steps to help decrease the likelihood of your site getting stuck in maintenance mode once more.

one. Ensure Plugin/Themes are Compatible

Make sure plugins/themes are compatible with your version of WordPress earlier updating. You lot can bank check confirmed compatibility correct from your WordPress dashboard:

WordPress plugin compatibility
WordPress plugin compatibility

2. Avoid Updating all Plugins at In one case

Endeavor to avert executing too many updates at 1 time. By updating themes/plugins as updates get available (instead of waiting to do them all at once), you can minimize the number of updates WordPress has to practice each time.

If you want to go on your site in good shape, make sure to read our in-depth guide on WordPress maintenance.

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