If your site is stuck saying "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance," an interrupted update left a lock file behind. Delete it.
- Log in to cPanel and open File Manager.
- Go to your WordPress root folder and enable Show Hidden Files (Settings, top right).
- Find the file named
.maintenanceand delete it. - Reload your site, it should be back to normal.
This file is created automatically during updates and usually removed when they finish; a timeout or PHP error can leave it behind. After the site loads, go to Dashboard > Updates and complete any pending updates. If the site still misbehaves, check for a failed plugin update and re-run it. Still stuck in maintenance mode? Open a ticket.
