WordPress Maintenance Mode Stuck

What is WordPress Maintenance Mode?

WordPress maintenance mode is a built-in feature that automatically activates when the system is updating the core files, themes, or plugins. This feature is helpful as it ensures that your site isn’t accessed in a broken or incomplete state while critical updates are being installed. During this time, visitors see a simple message: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.” This temporary status helps keep the user experience smooth and professional.

The mechanism behind this mode is pretty straightforward. WordPress creates a temporary file in the root directory called .maintenance. As long as this file exists, WordPress assumes updates are in progress and displays the maintenance notice on the frontend. Once the update is completed successfully, WordPress is supposed to delete this file automatically, returning the site to normal.

However, problems occur when something interrupts the update process, like a server timeout or plugin conflict. When this happens, WordPress fails to remove the .maintenance file, leaving the site in an unintended maintenance limbo.

When Does WordPress Enter Maintenance Mode?

WordPress automatically triggers maintenance mode during:

• Core updates: When updating WordPress itself to a new version.
• Theme or plugin updates: When done in bulk or when one has significant changes.
• Automatic background updates: Depending on your WordPress configuration, it may automatically perform updates and enter maintenance mode without manual initiation.

While the intention behind maintenance mode is good, things go sideways if the update doesn’t finish correctly. For instance, a broken plugin can cause a fatal error mid-update. Similarly, slow or overburdened hosting servers may not complete the process in time, causing WordPress to get stuck.

Common Causes of WordPress Getting Stuck in Maintenance Mode

Interrupted or Failed Update

The most common culprit behind a stuck maintenance mode is an interrupted update. Imagine you start updating a plugin, but midway, your server crashes or your internet connection fails. WordPress writes the .maintenance file to the root directory at the beginning of the update, but never gets the chance to clean it up at the end. Boom you’re now stuck.

This can also happen if:

1. 1. The update was too large and exceeded the server’s PHP timeout limit.
   2. There was a conflict between the updating plugin and another installed plugin.
   3. A fatal error occurred during the update process.

Some users make the mistake of refreshing or navigating away from the browser tab during updates, especially on slow connections. This impatience can trigger the issue as well.

Plugin or Theme Conflicts

Plugins are powerful, but not all of them play nicely together. Conflicts between plugins, or between a plugin and your active theme can break the update script. WordPress enters maintenance mode but can’t complete the update, leaving the site locked.

Let’s say you’re running a caching plugin and trying to update your theme. If the caching plugin doesn’t properly clear stored scripts before the update, it can interfere with WordPress completing its job. The result? Stuck in maintenance.

Themes can also be culprits. A poorly coded theme with compatibility issues can cause errors when trying to update, especially if it tries to modify core WordPress functions during the process.

Server Timeout or Low Memory Issues

Your hosting environment plays a huge role here. Cheap shared hosting plans often come with limited resources such as restricted memory, low processing power, and tight execution timeouts. If your server can’t process an update in the allotted time, the script fails before deleting the .maintenance file.

In particular:

• PHP max execution time is too short
• PHP memory limit is insufficient
• Disk space is low or full
• CPU usage limits are exceeded

In all of these cases, the update won’t complete, and your site gets trapped in maintenance mode. This is one reason why managed WordPress hosting is worth the investment as they optimise for such operations.

Disabling A Stuck WordPress Maintenance Mode

Now, what you have been waiting for, how to fix WordPress Maintenance Mode Stuck in limbo! To disable maintenance mode on WordPress, you will need to delete the .maintenance file. You can do this by doing the following:

1. Access your site files via FTP (like FileZilla) or your hosting panel’s File Manager.
2. Navigate to the public_html folder or your WordPress root directory.
3. Look for a file named .maintenance ( it starts with a dot). If the file isn’t visible you may need to show hidden files which can be done by selecting settings in the top-right corner then ticking the checkbox to show hidden files.
4. Right-click on the .maintenance file, then select delete. You can then select move to trash or delete permanently (either is fine).
5. Refresh your site, and it should be in working order.