If your WordPress site still shows “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Please check back in a minute” after an update has stopped, remove the .maintenance file from the WordPress installation root. Find the folder containing wp-admin, show hidden files if necessary, and delete only .maintenance. Then check the site and confirm the update completed.
Why WordPress gets stuck in maintenance mode
During an update, WordPress creates a .maintenance file in the installation’s base folder. As WordPress Developer Resources explains, if the update does not clean up that file, visitors may continue to see the scheduled-maintenance message after the update has ended.
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WordPress core checks the file’s $upgrading timestamp. If it was created less than 10 minutes ago, WordPress treats the site as being in maintenance mode; an older timestamp is treated as expired. This is the behavior documented in the WordPress function reference. If the notice persists, manually removing the stale file is the documented recovery step.
Remove the maintenance file with your host’s file manager or FTP
- Give an update that is still running time to finish. Do not remove the file while WordPress is actively updating. If the site remains on the notice after the update has stopped, sign in to your hosting account and open its file manager, or connect to the server with FTP or SFTP.
- Open the WordPress installation root. It is the folder containing
wp-admin, usually alongsidewp-content,wp-includes, andwp-config.php. If your account hosts multiple WordPress sites, make sure you have selected the installation for the affected site. - Show hidden files, if needed. The filename starts with a dot, so some file managers hide it by default. Enable the option to display hidden files and look for
.maintenancein the installation root—not in a subfolder. - Delete only
.maintenance. Do not remove other files or folders. WordPress’s troubleshooting FAQ describes removing the file from the base folder to clear the notice. - Reload the site and check the dashboard. Confirm that the front end loads and that you can sign in. Open the Dashboard Updates screen to see whether the interrupted update completed.
Use WP-CLI if you have shell access
Administrators who already use WP-CLI can check the maintenance status and deactivate maintenance mode without manually browsing for the file. Run these commands from the correct WordPress installation path, or specify that path using your normal WP-CLI setup:
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wp maintenance-mode status
wp maintenance-mode deactivateThe first command reports the status; the second deactivates maintenance mode. See the WP-CLI command reference for details. If you are unsure which installation the command will act on, use the file manager or ask your host rather than guessing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check the update before trying it again
Removing .maintenance restores access to the site; it does not establish that the interrupted update finished correctly. Check the relevant update status in the dashboard and test the site’s important pages. If WordPress shows that the automatic update failed or did not complete, the WordPress FAQ advises running the automatic upgrade again.
Before retrying, make sure the site is accessible and that you can reach the update screen. If several items were updating, handling them one at a time can make it easier to identify which update fails. If the problem returns, contact your host for help investigating the update rather than repeatedly retrying without knowing whether the site is recoverable.
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If deleting the file does not fix the problem
- You cannot find
.maintenance: Confirm hidden files are displayed and that you opened the correct installation root—the directory containingwp-admin. Do not delete unrelated files to try to clear the notice. - You cannot access the server files or are unsure of the path: Ask your hosting provider to locate the installation and help with the update recovery.
- The site now displays a fatal PHP error instead of the maintenance notice: This is a different issue. WordPress Recovery Mode is designed for some fatal PHP errors detected during a regular page load; it is distinct from removing a stale maintenance file. Use the Recovery Mode workflow to investigate, or contact your host if you cannot access the site.
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