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# My WordPress site is stuck on "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance"

This message means WordPress got stuck in maintenance mode after an interrupted update. All you need to do is **delete the `.maintenance` file** at the site root to unblock it.

## Why it happens

WordPress creates a `.maintenance` file at the root during an update, and deletes it once the update is finished. If the update is interrupted — timeout, error, closed tab — the file stays, and the site shows the maintenance message indefinitely.

## Unblock the site

1. Open the site, **Access** tab.
2. In the **File Editor** section, click **Show**, then **Access the file editor** (or connect via SFTP).

![The file editor, in the Access tab, to delete the .maintenance file.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/-/9/d/2/d/9d2d3e0b7134b800/act-acces-editeur-en_1hchq27.png)
3. At the site root, delete the **`.maintenance`** file.
4. Reload the site.

> **It's a hidden file**: its name starts with a dot. Remember to turn on hidden-file display in your SFTP client.

> **Before handling any files**, create a backup from the **Backups** tab.

## What next?

The interrupted update probably didn't complete. Check the **WordPress** tab, **Needs update** filter, and run it again.