Are you seeing the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance’ error in WordPress?
This error usually appears while updating WordPress core, plugins, or themes. Basically, your WordPress site fails to finish the update and stays stuck in maintenance mode.
In this article, we will show you how to easily fix the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance’ error in WordPress. We will also show you why this error occurs and how you can avoid it in the future.
What Is WordPress Maintenance Mode and Why Does it Happen?
The WordPress maintenance mode page is technically not an error. It is a notification page.
During the update process, WordPress downloads necessary update files to your server, extracts them, and then installs the update.
WordPress also puts your site into maintenance mode and displays the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute’ notice during the process.
To trigger the maintenance mode notification, WordPress creates a temporary .maintenance file in your website’s root folder.
If everything works normally, then this notice will probably be displayed for only a few seconds. After the successful update, WordPress will automatically delete the maintenance file and disable maintenance mode.
However, sometimes, due to a slow WordPress hosting server response or low memory issue, the update script will time out and interrupt the process. When this happens, WordPress does not get a chance to take your site out of maintenance mode.
In other words, your WordPress website will continue showing the maintenance mode notice, and you will need to manually fix it.
If this error is happening to you, don’t worry. Simply follow this guide so that you can resolve it in no time. You can use these quick links to skip to different parts of our tutorial:
Video Tutorial
If you’d prefer written instructions, then just keep reading.
Option 1: Delete the .maintenance File
To get your website out of maintenance mode, all you really need to do is delete the .maintenance file from your site’s root folder using an FTP client like FileZilla or your hosting’s file manager app.
Simply connect to your website’s files, find the .maintenance file, right-click on it, and select ‘Delete’.
If you can’t find the .maintenance file in your WordPress root directory, then make sure your FTP client is set to show hidden files.
In FileZilla, you can force the client to show hidden files by clicking on Server » Force showing hidden files from the menu bar.
Once the .maintenance file has been removed, your site will come out of maintenance mode, and the error should be fixed.
Option 2: Update the wp-activate.php File
If WordPress is still stuck in maintenance mode even after the fix above, then you need to update the wp-activate.php file located in your main WordPress folder. This is the same place where you found and deleted the .maintenance file.
You will need to either open the file using your hosting company’s file manager app or download it on your computer using FTP.
Next, you need to find the code:
define ('WP_INSTALLING', true)
Then, change the ‘true’ to ‘false’.
So your code will look like this:
define ('WP_INSTALLING', false)
After that, you need to save the changes and upload the file to your hosting server using FTP. If you are using the hosting company’s file manager, then simply saving the file should get you out of maintenance mode.
Option 3: Temporarily Deactivate All WordPress Plugins
An unfinished or interrupted update may cause issues when your site comes out of maintenance mode.
If the error occurred when you were updating a WordPress plugin, then you will need to temporarily deactivate all WordPress plugins using FTP. This step will ensure that the corrupt plugin is disabled, and your website will come back online.
Next, you will need to log in to your WordPress dashboard and activate one plugin at a time to see which plugin caused the issue. After that, you need to manually install the plugin update so that it’s working properly.
On the other hand, if this error occurred when you were updating WordPress core software, then you will need to follow our guide to safely update WordPress.
How to Prevent the WordPress Maintenance Mode Error in the Future
We already know that the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance’ error can sometimes be caused by a sluggish server response or limited memory on your web hosting plan.
To avoid this frustration, let’s look at some preventative measures. One is to update plugins and themes one at a time.
We all want to be efficient, but sometimes speed can backfire. When you click the ‘Update’ button for all your plugins at once, WordPress updates them in a staggered order. Even a tiny delay in the connection can lead to conflicts and get your site stuck in maintenance mode.
Instead, take a more patient approach. Update your plugins and themes one by one. This way, if an issue arises, it’s easier to identify the culprit and fix the problem quickly.
If updating one at a time still leads to maintenance mode errors, it might be a sign that your current hosting plan doesn’t have the resources your website needs.
Upgrading to a higher plan or moving to a reliable provider like Bluehost can significantly reduce the chance of encountering this error in the future.
We also recommend exploring managed WordPress hosting companies. These providers specialize in optimizing WordPress websites for speed and reliability, making them a great option for a smoother experience.
How to Customize the Maintenance Mode Notification
Maybe your WordPress site actually needs to be in maintenance mode for updates or other reasons, but you’d prefer to ditch the plain and boring default maintenance page.
If that’s the case, then you can use a plugin like SeedProd. It is the best WordPress page builder plugin that comes with a maintenance mode feature.
You can customize your maintenance mode page using the drag-and-drop builder and integrate different email marketing tools.
Check out our SeedProd review if you want more details about the plugin.
First, you will need to install the SeedProd plugin on your website. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, go to SeedProd » Landing Pages from your WordPress admin panel and click on the ‘Set Up a Maintenance Mode Page’ button.
After that, you will need to select a template for your maintenance mode page.
Simply hover over the template you want to use and click the check icon.
Next, you can customize your maintenance mode page using the SeedProd drag-and-drop builder. The plugin offers standard blocks for text, images, and buttons and advanced blocks such as a countdown timer, contact form, and social sharing buttons.
Simply drag any block you want from the menu on your left onto the template on the right.
SeedProd also makes it super easy to arrange the blocks in the template the way you want. Plus, you can click on any element to edit its color, size, text, font, and more.
Once you are happy with the maintenance mode page, click the ‘Save’ button to store your changes. Next, head over to the ‘Page Settings’ tab and click the Page Status toggle to Publish your page.
Now, whenever you are updating your website, simply enable the maintenance mode page on your WordPress website.
To activate the page, head over to SeedProd » Pages from your WordPress dashboard and toggle Maintenance Mode to ‘Active.’
You can then visit your website to see the maintenance mode page in action.
Here’s what it may look like:
For ideas on how to design your maintenance mode page, check out our article on maintenance page ideas.
We hope this article helped you fix the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance’ error in WordPress. You may also want to read our guide on fixing the most common WordPress errors and the difference between coming soon vs maintenance mode.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Syed Balkhi says
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David says
Thank you for this post. I owe you a beer!
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
aakash says
truly great content , Thanks for the help
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Abrar says
it was helpful for me to solve this problem.Tnx a lot
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Manthan Admane says
Thank you so much. This helped and fixed my issue
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our article could help
Admin
Anjan Pandit says
thank you very much. working
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide could help
Admin
Stephen Ogar says
Thanks so much the issue has been fixed
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide was helpful
Admin
Matteo says
Thanks for your help!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
James says
This article done the trick for me, simply deleted the file from the directory. Useful post guys, thanks a lot.
James
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our guide could help
Admin
Syed says
Awesome, its really easy I was worried, but this articles helped me to get rid of all my worries. Thank you very much
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our article could help
Admin
hafizws says
articles that really helped solve my problem
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our articles were helpful
Admin
Inioluwa Olaposi says
Thanks for the information.
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Joseph says
Worked like magic. Thanks for the “straight to the point” approach to providing solutions
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our article could be helpful
Admin
Heather Cook says
This is all great but I can’t login to the site anymore. How do I fix anything if I can’t login? Help???!!!
WPBeginner Support says
This article recommends FTP which we cover here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/how-to-use-ftp-to-upload-files-to-wordpress-for-beginners/
If you are uncomfortable with FTP, if you reach out to your hosting provider they should be able to assist
Admin
amanda says
hi there,
i had the message saying briefly unavailable for schedule maintenance. check in a minute.
I went on site and it just show blank screen, what does this mean?
thanks.
WPBeginner Support says
There are a few possible reasons for the white screen, you would want to take a look at our article here: https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-fix-the-wordpress-white-screen-of-death/
Admin
Ola says
Thanks it worked.
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
Abduaziz says
Thanks!!! It really worked!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome, glad our recommendation worked
Admin
Juan Carlos Rodríguez says
Hi. Thanks a lot for this tutorial. You saved me from reseting my hosting account in order to restart my web design.
God bless.
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our tutorial could help
Admin
Rahman says
yay, my website live again after deleting maintenance files in cpanel, i’am wait for some minutes and keep maintenance, thanks for info
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our guide could help
Admin
JustWannaSayThanks says
Man thank you for that advice. :D!
WPBeginner Support says
You’re welcome
Admin
citra lestari says
Thank you, thank you. I was worried there but your advice and your commenters really helped
WPBeginner Support says
Glad our post could help
Admin
Mahendra says
Thanks for sharing
Phors says
Thank you. I found it. I have one question. Why we cannot update plugin? While I was updating I face that error.
C SaiCharan says
I didn’t find .maintenance file …even in hidden mode also
thian says
yup, just wait around 5 minute more or less, than ur website will appear
Adrian says
Concise, accurate, and helpful. Thanks!
Niket says
i cant explain how thankful I am after reading this post
javad says
i found that when host can not connect to update wordpress this problem occur
thank you
but how we can prevent WP to disable plugins??
in this problem my site was reachable but all plugins not work and sitemap was error in google
daniel says
Thanks a lot !!! It helped me to solve my problem in 2 seconds!!!
WPBeginner Support says
Hey daniel,
Glad you found it helpful
Don’t forget to join us on Twitter for more WordPress tips and tutorials.
Admin
Em Capito says
Thanks! This was such an easy fix instead of calling into GoDaddy to try to troubleshoot!
Eduard says
It will be nice if WordPress will provide a script to delete .maintenance file via direct link, because if you don’t have accesto FTP your dead!
Samuel igwe says
am in this trouble thank for sharing you just saved me because was thinking my site got hacked
Doug Davis says
Thanks. That worked great.
Paul Okeke says
This is a great article. saved me hours of research and frustration.
Thanks for WPBeginners Editorial Team
WPBeginner Support says
Glad you found it helpful. Make sure you follow us Facebook.
Admin
sarfraz khan says
Thanks for the trick. I learned one more thing.
Becky says
Thanks. Site back up and running. It got stuck in maintenance. Removed file from FTP and all back as it should be.
1Wanted says
Thank’s, second method helped me. I am happy!
Qamar says
Solved, So thanks
Andy Johnston says
Frank any thoughts on my response on Jan 15th. Andy
Andy Johnston says
I can access wp-admin but when I select ‘Please update now’ at top of dashboard (WordPress 4.4.1 is available) I get the following message
‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.’. I have read through forum and everything seems to suggest deleting the hidden .maintenance file but this file does not exist. Any further ideas?
Andy
WPBeginner Support says
It is hidden file, please make sure your FTP client is set to show hidden files.
Admin
frank says
could not find .maintenance. Too many files. Why is it so hard to give a step by step instruction ?
Andy Johnston says
Frank I have ensured hidden files are accesible and tried it with boat Filezilla and cPanel and there is no .maintenance file.
One thing that is different to other similar querys is that I seem to be able to access all features of my wp-admin..can post, update page, update plugins etc. only thing I seem to get message is when I try to update wordpress 4.4.1. Any significance? Andy
Mohsin Tariq says
Thanks…… I am very Happy that you give me a Solution … Thanks again
Smachizo says
Thanks for saving my blog today.it went down for more than 10 minutes.
I think that i should move to a vps hosting.
Jade says
Thanks so much for this, you’ve really helped me how to get the site back out of maintenance mode.
Marcelle says
Saved me from a massive panic attack today. Thanks!
Annelise Mitchell says
Thank you, thank you. I was worried there but your advice and your commenters really helped.
toya says
i am also do this but still showing mantinance mode
parag says
It’s SImple just following step :
1) open wp-admin
2)open maint folder
3) Delete repair.php file
4)injoy….
Abdul Sami says
Thank parag, you saved my time
ashu says
sir i am having the same problem, and i can not find any .maintenance file. i have checked the hidden files too , what should i do?
WPBeginner Support says
Please contact your web host.
Admin
Adeel Ahmed says
Thanks a lot for writing such an amazing and accurate article. I was wondering whether there is some problem with my domain hosting service
Gretchen says
Thanks for this article. Really helpful.