Solve WordPress Maintenance Mode Error: A Step-by-Step Guide with Examples

“Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.” is a common problem faced by WordPress users. It occurs when WordPress is in the process of updating itself or a plugin and is unable to complete the process. This can lead to an error page being displayed to the user, often with a message saying “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”. In this tutorial, we’ll explore some common causes of maintenance mode errors and how to resolve them.

Before proceeding with any customizations in WordPress, it’s essential to set up a child theme. A child theme acts as a safe and efficient way to make modifications without affecting the parent theme. If you haven’t set up a child theme yet, follow this tutorial on How to Create a Child Theme for Customization. It will guide you through the process and ensure that your customizations remain intact even after theme updates.

Fix 1: Check if the update process is complete

Sometimes the update process can take longer than expected, which may result in the maintenance mode error. To check if the update process is complete, simply wait a few minutes and refresh the page. If the error page is still displayed, move on to the next fix.

Fix 2: Delete the .maintenance file

The .maintenance file is created by WordPress during the update process and is responsible for displaying the maintenance mode error page. If the update process is unable to complete, the file may be left behind. To resolve this issue, you need to delete the .maintenance file. To do this, access your WordPress site’s files using an FTP client or cPanel file manager and delete the .maintenance file located in the root directory of your WordPress installation.

You can also delete it by adding the following code to your WordPress functions.php file. This code will end the maintenance mode and delete the .maintenance file whenever an admin logs in to the WordPress dashboard.

function end_maintenance_mode(){
    if(file_exists(ABSPATH . '.maintenance')){
        unlink(ABSPATH . '.maintenance');
    }
}
add_action('admin_init', 'end_maintenance_mode');

Code language: PHP (php)

Fix 3: Check for plugin conflicts

In some cases, a plugin may be interfering with the update process and causing the maintenance mode error. To resolve this issue, you can try disabling all plugins, then re-enabling them one by one to see which plugin is causing the conflict. Alternatively, you can access your WordPress site using the WordPress Safe Mode plugin, which temporarily disables all plugins and allows you to safely perform the update.

Fix 4 Revert to Default Theme

If disabling plugins doesn’t resolve the issue, try switching to the default WordPress theme. You can do this by connecting to your website using an FTP client and renaming your current theme folder to something else. Then activate the default WordPress theme. If this fixes the error, it is likely that your current theme is the cause.

That’s it! The maintenance mode error can be a frustrating issue to resolve, but by following the steps outlined in this tutorial, you can quickly and easily get your WordPress site back up and running. Remember to always back up your site before performing updates, and if you’re unsure of how to proceed, consider seeking assistance from a professional WordPress developer. With these tips, you’ll be able to keep your WordPress site secure and up-to-date with minimal hassle.