"Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance" — How to Fix Stuck Maintenance Mode

If every page shows "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute." long after an update should have finished, WordPress is stuck in maintenance mode. An interrupted plugin, theme, or core update left a lock file behind.

Why WordPress gets stuck in maintenance mode

During updates, WordPress creates a hidden file named .maintenance in the site root. When the update finishes, it deletes that file. If the browser tab closes, the connection drops, or the process times out, the file can remain — and the maintenance message stays forever until you remove it.

The fix: delete the .maintenance file

Connect with FTP, SFTP, or your host’s file manager.
Open the WordPress root — the folder that contains wp-config.php, wp-admin, and wp-content.
Enable “show hidden files” if your client hides dotfiles.
Find .maintenance and delete it (or rename it to .maintenance.bak).
Reload your site. The maintenance message should be gone immediately.

There is no settings toggle for this — removing the file is the fix.

If maintenance mode comes back

Finish or roll back the interrupted update from wp-admin.
Update plugins and themes one at a time instead of in a bulk batch.
If wp-admin is unstable, update via your host panel or WP-CLI if available.
Check disk space and PHP timeouts — failed updates often leave the lock file behind again.

Quick checklist

Exact message: Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.
Delete .maintenance from the WordPress root
Reload — the site should return
Re-run failed updates one item at a time