What is the WordPress maintenance screen?

 

Over 20% of WordPress site owners get stuck in maintenance mode during updates — leaving visitors locked out and admins stressed.

This quick rescue guide explains why your site says “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance”, how to safely remove the stuck .maintenance file, and how to prevent this problem next time. Whether you run a small blog or a busy e-commerce site, this fix takes under 5 minutes.

Quick Fix Checklist: Is Your Site Really Stuck?

Step-by-Step: Remove the .maintenance File

What’s Happening?

During updates, WordPress drops a temporary .maintenance file in your site’s root directory. If the update is interrupted, the file sticks around, locking your site.

Method 1: Fix with FTP

    1. Open your FTP client and connect to your site.
    2. Navigate to your site’s root directory (e.g., /public_html/).
    3. Find the file named .maintenance.
    4. Delete .maintenance.
    5. Refresh your site — it should be back online!

Verify: Visit your site in an incognito window to confirm the fix.

Method 2: Fix with File Manager

    1. Log into your hosting dashboard (e.g., cPanel).
    2. Open File Manager.
    3. Go to your WordPress root directory.
    4. Look for .maintenance.
    5. Delete it.
    6. Refresh your site.

Pro Tip: If you don’t see it, enable “Show Hidden Files.”

Pro Tips to Prevent This in the Future

Advanced Troubleshooting: Still Stuck?

If deleting .maintenance doesn’t work:

Helpful Links

 

 Still need help? Email [email protected] — fast WordPress rescue and support!

 

Please feel free to comment via WordPress, Twitter, or Facebook

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