WordPress stuck in maintenance mode? How to fix “briefly unavailable” fast

When WordPress updates a plugin, a theme or itself, it puts a temporary file called .maintenance in your site’s root folder and shows the message “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.” The file is removed when the update finishes. If the update is interrupted, by a closed browser tab, a timeout or a server hiccup, the file stays and your site stays locked.

Connect to your site by SFTP or your host’s file manager, open the folder that contains wp-config.php, and delete the file named .maintenance. It is hidden by default, so switch on the option to show hidden files. Reload your site and it should be back. If you have WP-CLI, one command does the same.

An interrupted update can leave a plugin or theme half installed. Log in, open the Updates screen and run the update again, one item at a time. If a plugin now causes errors, reinstall it or restore a backup. The post on the white screen of death covers how to find a broken plugin.

Some sites use a maintenance mode plugin, and forgetting to switch it off gives the same symptom. If deleting .maintenance changes nothing, check for one, and if you cannot reach the dashboard, rename that plugin’s folder inside wp-content/plugins to turn it off.

Run updates one at a time, on a stable connection, and never close the tab while they run. Better still, update on a staging copy first. Automatic updates on a schedule, with a backup before each one, avoid the problem entirely, which is what a care plan does.