How to fix ‘Briefly Unavailable for Scheduled Maintenance’ in WordPress

If you’ve kept up with WordPress updates, chances are you’ve been greeted with the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back later.’ message once, if not several times:

If you’ve found yourself stuck on your own web page by a message like this, don’t worry. Below, we’ve listed several quick and easy ways that will let you fix the issue.

What exactly happens during maintenance mode?

Whenever you run an update of your WordPress, your site goes into maintenance mode so that it can download and install update files for WP core, plugins, and themes without bothering your visitors.

You can update your WordPress in one of two ways:

• automatic updates, caused by plugins, themes, or WordPress core files being out of date;
• manual updates, especially if you are using a WordPress maintenance plugin.

If you want, you can also manually force WordPress into maintenance mode by using the code snippet below and adding it to functions.php:

// Activate WordPress Maintenance Mode

function wp_maintenance_mode(){

if(!current_user_can(‘edit_themes’) || !is_user_logged_in()){

wp_die(‘<h1 style=”color:red”>Website under Maintenance</h1><br />We are performing scheduled maintenance.We will be back on-line shortly!’);

}

}

add_action(‘get_header’, ‘wp_maintenance_mode’);

In most cases, the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back later.’ The message will appear after an automatic update. But what is it exactly that causes this message to appear?

Whenever an update happens, WordPress creates a file in the root folder called .maintenance. In this case, the error isn’t in the message itself – rather, it’s an integral part of the update process. After it completes the update, WordPress should automatically delete .maintenance, making the message disappear.

The issue arises when the message persists after WordPress has been fully updated, effectively preventing you or your visitors from accessing the site.

Things like slow server response time, updates being suddenly interrupted, low memory issues, or the maintenance mode detecting certain updates (usually plugins) as incomplete can also cause the issue.

The root of the issue is that WordPress sometimes doesn’t delete .maintenance once the update is complete, and so the maintenance mode notification is still displayed even when the maintenance mode itself is over.

Quick ways to fix the maintenance mode issue

At the core of all of the fixes listed below is removing the .maintenance file. Since the file hasn’t been deleted automatically after the update was finished, you will need to go in and manually remove it. There are several ways to do this, none of which should take more than 2 minutes:

Fix 01: Using FTP

To use this method, you will need an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program connected to your WordPress site via SFTP. In this example, we will use FileZilla.

1. Log in to your WordPress through FileZilla. At the bottom right-hand side, you will get a view of your WordPress files and directories:
   
2. Scroll down through these files until you find .maintenance, right-click on it, then click ‘Delete’. If you’re not able to find .maintenance, click on ‘Server’ at the top of the FileZilla window, then choose ‘Force showing hidden files’.
   
3. Refresh your website and check whether the maintenance mode message is gone.

Fix 02: Using the file manager

Use this method if you can’t access your server through FTP or are not familiar enough with using FTP. Instead, you can access your WordPress root directory using the File Manager:

1. Log in to your web hosting account and find the ‘File Manager’ icon. Clicking it will move you to another page, where you need to click on ‘Upload Files Now’ in order to access the file manager.
   
2. Go through your WordPress directory and find .maintenance.
   
3. Right-click on .maintenance and choose ‘Delete’.
   
4. Refresh your web page to see if this resolved the issue.

Fix 03. Using the command line

You can also delete .maintenance by using the Command Line:

1. Create an SHH connection to your server.
   
2. Go to your WordPress directory, which should be in the public_html folder. Please note that if you have installed it elsewhere, you will have to navigate to the appropriate folder.
   
3. Once you are in your WordPress directory, use the command ls –a. Using this command, you will be able to easily find .maintenance.
   
4. Delete .maintenance, then refresh your page and see if the maintenance mode message is still there.

Fix 04: Using wp-activate.php

Use this method if none of the above are working for you:

1. Using FTP or File Manager, find the wp-activate.php in your WordPress directory and download it to your computer.
   
   
2. Open wp-activate.php and look for the line define (‘WP_INSTALLING’,true).
   
3. Replace true with false, so that the code looks like define (‘WP_INSTALLING’, false);.
   
   
4. Save the change and re-upload wp-activate.php to your WordPress directory.
   
5. To check if this fixed the error, refresh your page.

Avoiding this issue going forward

If you have successfully removed the ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back later.’ Message from your web page using one of the methods listed above, there is a chance it might happen again in the future. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to prevent it from popping up again:

Make sure not to interrupt updates

This is especially important if you are running manual updates. If you click on the ‘update now’ option for several plugins quickly, server delay might cause a conflict with the way WordPress stages updates, getting your page stuck in maintenance mode.

In the case of automatic or batch updates, make sure the message ‘Disabling Maintenance mode…All updates have been completed’ appears before you close your WordPress tab.

Make sure everything is compatible

Before running any updates, make sure you use the ‘View Details’ link to check the compatibility of plugins and themes with the version of WordPress you intend to install:

Automate maintenance mode using plugins

Aside from the way WordPress automatically initializes maintenance mode, which we mentioned above, you can use plugins to take your website into maintenance mode manually. This also allows you to customize the maintenance mode web page and message.

Below you will find some of the plugins that can help you with this:

1. ManageWP: Though not really a plugin, connecting your site to ManageWP will allow you to apply one of the two available templates as your maintenance notification.
   
2. WP Maintenance Mode: A completely free plugin, WP Maintenance Mode lets you fully customize your maintenance notification, make it mobile-friendly, or exclude certain URLs on your website from displaying the maintenance mode message.
   
3. Maintenance: Featuring both a free and premium version, Maintenance offers many of the same features mentioned above, with the addition of letting you quickly switch the HTTP 503 code on and off.
   
4. Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode: Coming in either a free or premium version, Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode lets you create both a maintenance mode and a coming soon page, without installing additional plugins.
   

Conclusion

To wrap things up, next time, an unexpected ‘Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back later.’ message pops up, no need to panic.

Simply follow one of the fixes listed above, or make sure you take steps to prevent it from happening in the first place, such as making sure updates run smoothly and without interruptions, checking the compatibility of your themes and plugins, or using plugins to manually start and stop maintenance mode.

Know of any other ways to fix this issue? Please share them in the comments below.

FAQ

Why does WordPress stay stuck in maintenance mode after updates finish?

WordPress may fail to remove the .maintenance file after a core, plugin, or theme update. This usually happens due to interrupted updates, low server memory, timeouts, or slow hosting response, leaving the “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance” message active.

Where is the .maintenance file located in WordPress?

The .maintenance file is created in the root directory of your WordPress installation, typically inside the public_html folder. It becomes visible through FTP, File Manager, or the command line when hidden files are enabled.

Can server performance issues trigger the maintenance error?

Yes, limited PHP memory, slow server response, or hosting timeouts can interrupt the WordPress update process. When updates don’t complete properly, maintenance mode may remain active because WordPress doesn’t finalize the cleanup sequence.

Is it safe to delete the .maintenance file manually?

Yes, deleting the .maintenance file is safe if updates have already completed. Removing it simply disables maintenance mode and restores site access without affecting WordPress core files, themes, or plugins.

How can I prevent maintenance mode from blocking my website again?

Avoid interrupting WordPress updates, update plugins one at a time, verify theme and plugin compatibility, and ensure your hosting environment meets WordPress performance requirements to reduce the risk of update conflicts.