Stuck in Maintenance Mode

When updating your WordPress website, your site will briefly go into maintenance mode and will display a message to visitors like this. But sometimes that message won't go away and your site is stuck. Luckily it's quite easy to solve.

Login to your web hosting account and access your file manager application. Most web hosts provide a graphical interface including cPanel, eXtend or Plesk. You may need to refer to your web host to determine which system you have and which file manager application they provide.

Navigate to the root directory of your website. This is usually /public_html or /htdocs, though not always and this will depend on the system you are using. You should refer to your web host if you are unsure.

When upgrading themes or plugins, WordPress places a small file called .maintenance in the root directory. You will need to locate this and delete it. Note the . that proceeds the filename indicates a hidden file to some web hosting systems so you may need to select 'Display hidden files' under your File Manager settings