You’ve updated WordPress or just a plugin and uh oh the WordPress maintenance message is stuck!
Don’t panic. This is something that is easily fixed.
How to remove the WordPress Maintenance Message
A .maintenance file is automatically generated by WordPress whenever you update WordPress to newer version or update themes or plugins. Once the update is completed, the file will automatically be deleted. Occasionally the .maintenance will get stuck, i.e. it won’t be deleted when the update finishes.
Fixing it is simple if you know how to do it. All you need to do is find the file and delete it. You can’t delete it through the wp-admin area of your website. You will need to access the server through your web host’s file manager system (may be called cpanel) or via FTP.
Follow these three steps.
- Login to your FTP and browse to the WordPress root directory
- Find the .maintenance file (Notice the *dot* at the beginning of the file name and no file extension.)
- Delete the .maintenance file
If you’re stumped by step number one…. Login to your FTP and browse to the WordPress root directory – read about how to download and use Filezilla from the notes we’ve prepared for teaching our Toronto HTML, CSS & FTP Workshop.
Don’t ignore updates, learn how to manage your WordPress site with confidence
Unfortunately the maintenance error message is a common problem and the fear of breaking a live site is a common reason that people ignore WordPress updates. You don’t have to ignore updates. Join me for a WordPress Workshop and learn how to manage WordPress yourself or signup for our monthly maintenance plan and I’ll keep WordPress secure and up-to-date for you.
