WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world, thanks to the continuous improvement of its functions, as well as frequent updates of plugins, themes and WordPress core. During these updates WordPress puts your site in maintenance mode and displays the following message: “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute.”
This maintenance page is not an error – it is actually a notification of an ongoing update process. Any access to the site, backend or frontend is denied during the update process. After a few moments, the maintenance page should disappear when the update is finished. If this is not the case, there is a problem.
In this article, we will identify and analyze possible causes of this error, such as memory issues, script interrupts/timeouts, or slow response from the server. We will also show you appropriate solutions for each of these problems. Here are the things we will cover:
How to Fix Briefly Unavailable Error for Scheduled Maintenance in WordPress
During the update process WordPress creates a temporary maintenance file. After completing the update, WordPress will end the maintenance mode by deleting the file. However, sometimes the update process gets interrupted and the site gets stuck. Assuming the update was successful, simply delete the remaining .maintenance file on your server.
There are two ways to do this.
Using FTP client
If you want to delete the maintenance file this way, you need an FTP client like below. FileZilla. connect to your server using your FTP credentials root wordpress directory.
The .maintenance file is usually hidden from FTP clients. To see this, enable the appropriate option(s) to show hidden files in the selected FTP client.
Then locate the file, right-click on it and click “Erase”.
using cPanel
Login cPanelfind “Folders” section near the top and press “File Manager”.
find yours default WordPress directory on the left and go to it. Show hidden files by clicking Settings in the upper right corner, “Show Hidden Files(dot files)Click ” and “Save” button.
Then find it.maintenance fileright click on it andErase”.
After deleting the .maintenance file, be sure to clear the cache and reload a page on your site.. If the page exists, it means the error has been resolved, without any additional issues. If the error is still here, it may mean that the install mode is still active in WordPress somehow. To fix this, you need to replace the wp-activate.php file located in the WordPress root directory.. You can do this using an FTP client or via cPanel as shown earlier.
Using FTP client
You need to use an FTP client such as FileZilla for this option.
Start by connecting to the server using your FTP credentials. go to: root wordpress directory and find wp-activate.php file. Right click on it andEdit View”.
Open the file using any text editor and find this code near the beginning of the file.
define( 'WP_INSTALLING', true );
Using the same editor change true to false. The code should then look like this.
define( 'WP_INSTALLING', false );
Save the edited file and upload it to the same directory on the server, overriding the existing file.
using cPanel
Sign in to apply this solution cPanel and press “File Manager” is located near the top in the Files section.
go to: root wordpress directory find it on the left and wp-activate.php file in the middle of your screen. Download and open using a text editor.
define( ‘WP_INSTALLING’, true ); Find near the beginning of the file and change true to false in this line of code.
Save the change and use the edited file to override the one currently on your server. Then clear the browser cache and try to access your page again.
If the previous two attempts were unsuccessful, the issue you’re experiencing may be due to a missing/wrong update. To resolve the error, you need to manually update the theme, WordPress core or plugin via FTP. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, consider hiring a developer for this task.
Contact your theme authors for the latest version of your theme. The latest WordPress can be found on their website. download page. As for plugins, you must first determine which is the culprit and then manually update it via FTP.
Connect to the server using your FTP credentials to identify the culprit and wp-content folder. right click on plugins folder and “rename”. Rename as you wish (eg plugins.old).
This disables all plugins, allowing you to log into your control panel.
Then rename the folder plugins.old Back to plugins via FTP. This will re-enable your plugins and show the error once again.
Open the Plugins folder and rename a plugin similarly (eg plugin-name.old), clear browser cache and review page. As long as the “Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance” error page is shown, it’s not the fault of the plugin. Repeat the process for each plugin one by one. The first instance of the error page disappearing identifies the culprit. Then check the plugin authors for the latest version of the plugin.
While the bug has already been fixed, here are a few recommendations on how to avoid it or improve the user experience in case it happens again.
Updating Your Plugins One by One
Avoid unnecessarily freeing up server memory with bulk plugin updates. On top of that, updating plugins one by one makes it easier to find the culprit, thus avoiding the hassle of renaming that we described in the previous section.
Not Closing the Browser Tab in the Middle of an Update
It may seem obvious, but closing the tab during an update can happen accidentally, so it’s important to be mindful of your steps. Remember what is currently being updated (WordPress core, theme or specific plugin) and try updating manually via FTP.
Using a Staging Site for Updates
One of the important features a hosting provider can offer is staging sites. Be sure to consult them when setting up a staging site. They can be very helpful by allowing you to test for updates or common troubleshooting errors that may be incompatible. Along with regular backups, it can be a great asset for managing a live WordPress site.
Customizing Your Maintenance Page
Engaging with your site visitors in this process is just as important as updates or any other maintenance is required. A well thought out maintenance page can do wonders for the user experience. An interesting image and/or a humorous explanation, along with a downtime estimation and an alternative communication tool, is the formula to go for. There are numerous WordPress plugins available for this purpose – we recommend using Coming Soon Page, Under Construction and Maintenance Mode by SeedProd.
You can create and activate your personalized maintenance page by editing the Content and Design tabs in just a few minutes.
final thoughts
All in all, now you understand why most of the time this error is just a warning and not a real problem. However, if you’re dealing with an error, it’s relatively easy to find the cause and deal with it accordingly – so keep this guide in your bookmarks!
