How to Put WordPress in Maintenance Mode

Maintenance mode swaps the public site for a holding page that returns HTTP 503, while logged-in administrators keep seeing and editing the real site. The 503 status is the part that matters for search engines: it says "temporarily unavailable, come back", so Google does not treat the downtime as removed content the way a 404 would. Reach for it during a theme switch, a plugin audit, a database change or a redesign that moves navigation. Skip it for writing a post — a live site does not need to go dark for typing.

Two built-in pieces make this work in WordPress core, no plugin involved: a check that looks for a file named .maintenance in the WordPress root (the folder holding wp-config.php and wp-admin), and the wp_maintenance() routine that renders the holding page with the right headers. A plugin simply wraps the same idea in a settings screen.

WordPress core enters maintenance mode on its own when a file named .maintenance exists in the root directory containing <?php $upgrading = time(); — and it expires that state after 10 minutes unless the timestamp is refreshed. The core check compares the stored $upgrading timestamp against the current time and considers maintenance over once 10 minutes have passed. The page rendered is the default "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute." unless you supply your own template as a maintenance.php drop-in inside wp-content/, which WordPress loads instead.

1. Open File Manager in the hosting panel (or FTP) and navigate to the folder that contains wp-config.php.
2. Create a new file named .maintenance — with the leading dot.
3. Paste one line and save: <?php $upgrading = time();
4. Open the site in a private window; the default maintenance notice should appear.
5. For work longer than 10 minutes, save the file again to refresh the timestamp, or set a future timestamp such as $upgrading = time() + 3600; to hold the state for an hour.
6. Delete the file when finished; the site returns immediately.

Knowing this file matters even if you never create it: during an automatic update WordPress creates .maintenance itself, and if the update dies halfway the file can stay behind and pin the site in maintenance. There is also a maintenance page built for exactly this state on the white screen of death guide when things go further wrong.

A maintenance page needs three things: what is happening, when the site will be back, and one contact for urgent matters. One sentence, one specific time, one email address. A countdown timer only helps when the end time is actually known; a wrong countdown is worse than none.

• What — "We are updating the site and will be back shortly." Plain and true.
• When — a clock time or IST window, never "soon".
• Contact — one email address for urgent orders, e.g. orders@yourshop.in.
• Brand — logo and your colours, so the page reads as maintenance rather than an error.

Keep "coming soon" pages separate: those run before launch and can stay up for weeks while you build. Maintenance mode is for a live site that is briefly unavailable — hours, not weeks.