While WordPress installs updates it creates a file called .maintenance and shows visitors "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute." Normally the file is deleted seconds later. If the update was interrupted, for example by closing the browser tab or a timeout, the file stays and so does the message.
Before you start
- Access to cPanel → Files → File Manager.
- Wait about ten minutes first. WordPress ignores a
.maintenancefile older than ten minutes in some cases, and a slow update may still be running.
Delete the .maintenance file
- Open File Manager and click Settings in the top right.
- Tick Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) and save.
- Open the site's root folder, where
wp-config.phpis. - Select
.maintenance, click Delete and confirm. - Reload the site in a private window.
Over SSH the same is one command:
rm ~/public_html/.maintenanceFinish the update
Deleting the file brings the site back, but the update that was interrupted may be incomplete.
- Log in and open Dashboard → Updates.
- If a plugin or theme still shows an update, run it again, one item at a time.
- If a plugin now shows as missing or broken, delete its folder in
wp-content/pluginsand reinstall it from Plugins → Add New. Its settings are kept in the database. - If WordPress core was being updated and the dashboard shows errors, upload fresh
wp-adminandwp-includesfolders from the same version.
Site broken after deleting the file
- White screen or critical error: a half-updated plugin crashes PHP. Rename its folder or follow the white screen guide.
- "An automated WordPress update has failed to complete": run the core update again from Dashboard → Updates.
- Folders ending in
.tmporupgradeleftovers: you can safely emptywp-content/upgrade.
Why updates get interrupted
| Cause | Prevention |
|---|---|
| Many updates started at once | Update a few items at a time |
| Browser closed during update | Wait for the "All updates have been completed" message |
| PHP timeout or memory limit | Raise max_execution_time and memory_limit in cPanel |
| Disk quota full | Check cPanel → General Information → Disk Usage |
| Wrong file permissions | Folders 755, files 644 |
Using maintenance mode on purpose
If you want to show a maintenance page while you work, use a maintenance or coming-soon plugin rather than creating .maintenance yourself. Plugins send a proper 503 status with a retry header so search engines know the outage is temporary, and they let logged-in admins keep working.
Frequently asked questions
Is it safe to delete .maintenance?
Yes. It is a tiny temporary file that contains only a timestamp. Deleting it never removes content or settings.
I cannot see the file in File Manager.
Hidden files are not shown by default. Enable Show Hidden Files (dotfiles) in File Manager's settings. If it is still not there and the message persists, purge the LiteSpeed cache: you may be looking at a cached copy of the maintenance page.
Can I stop automatic updates from causing this?
Background updates rarely get stuck, but a real cron job and sensible PHP limits make them more reliable.