How to enable WordPress maintenance mode in 6 ways?

WordPress maintenance mode is a feature that allows you to display a user-friendly notice to your visitors when your website is undergoing maintenance or updates. This way, you can avoid showing a broken or incomplete website to your visitors and inform them when your website will be back online.

WordPress maintenance mode can be enabled in different ways, depending on your preferences and needs. Some methods are easier than others, and some offer more customization options than others. In this guide, we will show you 6 ways to put your WordPress website in maintenance mode and explain the pros and cons of each method.

1. Using the hPanel Dashboard

If you are using Hostinger as your web hosting provider, you can enable WordPress maintenance mode from your hPanel dashboard. This is the easiest and quickest method, as you don’t need to install any plugins or edit any code. All you need to do is log in to your hPanel account, go to WordPress Dashboard -> Core, and toggle the Maintenance Mode option on or off.

The downside of this method is that you cannot customize the maintenance page that your visitors will see. They will only see a default message that says “Website under maintenance”. This may not be very informative or engaging for your visitors.

2. Using the SeedProd Plugin

SeedProd is a popular landing page builder plugin for WordPress that allows you to create beautiful and professional-looking landing pages for various purposes, including maintenance mode. SeedProd has a free version and a premium version that offers more features and templates.

To use SeedProd for WordPress maintenance mode, you need to install and activate the plugin, then go to the plugin dashboard. There, you will see the modules to set up the Coming Soon and Maintenance pages and the buttons to activate them. You can also manage your landing pages from the bottom section.

To set up a maintenance mode page, you can choose from the pre-made templates or create your own from scratch using the drag-and-drop builder. You can customize the design, content, and functionality of your maintenance page according to your needs and preferences.

The advantage of using SeedProd is that you can create a unique and attractive maintenance page that reflects your brand identity and communicates with your visitors effectively. You can also integrate your maintenance page with email marketing services, social media platforms, analytics tools, and more.

The drawback of using SeedProd is that it is a premium plugin that costs $39.50/year for one site. The free version has limited features and templates.

3. Using the WP Maintenance Mode Plugin

WP Maintenance Mode is another free plugin that allows you to enable WordPress maintenance mode with ease. It has over 800,000 active installations and a 4.2-star rating on the WordPress plugin repository.

To use WP Maintenance Mode, you need to install and activate the plugin, then go to Settings -> WP Maintenance Mode. There, you can configure the general settings, such as enabling or disabling maintenance mode, setting up user roles that can access the website, adding a countdown timer or a progress bar, etc.

You can also customize the design and content of your maintenance page from the Design and Modules tabs. You can change the colors, fonts, backgrounds, logos, texts, etc. You can also add contact forms, subscription forms, social media icons, etc.

The benefit of using WP Maintenance Mode is that it is free and easy to use. It also offers some customization options for your maintenance page.

The downside of using WP Maintenance Mode is that it has fewer features and templates than SeedProd. It also has some compatibility issues with some themes and plugins.

4. Using the WP Maintenance Plugin

WP Maintenance is another free plugin that allows you to put your WordPress website in maintenance mode. It has over 40,000 active installations and a 4-star rating on the WordPress plugin repository.

To use WP Maintenance, you need to install and activate the plugin, then go to Settings -> WP Maintenance. There, you can enable or disable maintenance mode, set up user roles that can access the website, add a countdown timer or a progress bar, etc.

You can also customize the appearance and content of your maintenance page from the Appearance tab. You can change the colors, fonts, backgrounds, logos, texts, etc. You can also add contact forms, subscription forms, social media icons, etc.

The advantage of using WP Maintenance is that it is free and simple to use. It also offers some customization options for your maintenance page.

The disadvantage of using WP Maintenance is that it has fewer features and templates than SeedProd. It also has some compatibility issues with some themes and plugins.

5. Using a Custom Function

If you are comfortable with coding or want to have more control over your WordPress maintenance mode, you can use a custom function to enable it. This method requires you to edit your theme’s functions.php file or use a code snippets plugin.

To use this method, you need to add the following code snippet to your functions.php file or code snippets plugin:

// Enable WordPress Maintenance Mode function wp_maintenance_mode() { if (!current_user_can(‘edit_themes’) || !is_user_logged_in()) { wp_die(‘Website under maintenance. Please check back later.’); } } add_action(‘get_header’, ‘wp_maintenance_mode’);

This code will check if the current user is logged in and has the capability to edit themes. If not, it will display a message that says “Website under maintenance. Please check back later.” You can customize this message as you like.

The benefit of using this method is that it is free and gives you more flexibility and control over your WordPress maintenance mode.

The drawback of using this method is that it requires coding skills and can cause errors if not done correctly. It also does not offer any customization options for your maintenance page.

6. Using the .htaccess File

Another way to enable WordPress maintenance mode is by using the .htaccess file. This is a configuration file that controls how your web server handles requests to your website. This method requires you to create a custom maintenance page and edit your .htaccess file.

To use this method, you need to create a maintenance.html file and upload it to your website’s root directory. This file will contain the content and design of your maintenance page. You can use HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create your maintenance page as you like.

Next, you need to edit your .htaccess file and add the following code snippet:

Enable WordPress Maintenance Mode

RewriteEngine on RewriteCond %{REMOTE_ADDR} !^123.456.789.000 RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/maintenance.html$ [NC] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !.(jpe?g?|png|gif) [NC] RewriteRule .* /maintenance.html [R=302,L]

This code will check if the visitor’s IP address is not 123.456.789.000 (you can replace this with your own IP address) and if the requested file is not maintenance.html or an image file. If so, it will redirect them to the maintenance.html file.

The advantage of using this method is that it is free and gives you more flexibility and control over your WordPress maintenance mode.

The disadvantage of using this method is that it requires technical skills and can cause errors if not done correctly. It also does not offer any customization options for your maintenance page.

Comparison table of the 6 ways to enable WordPress maintenance mode:

Conclusion:

WordPress maintenance mode is a useful feature that allows you to display a user-friendly notice to your visitors when your website is undergoing maintenance or updates. There are different ways to enable WordPress maintenance mode, depending on your preferences and needs.

We recommend using SeedProd as the best WordPress maintenance mode plugin, as it allows you to create beautiful and professional-looking landing pages for various purposes, including maintenance mode. It also offers many features and templates to customize your maintenance page according to your needs and preferences.

If you are looking for a free and simple plugin, you can use WP Maintenance Mode or WP Maintenance. They also offer some customization options for your maintenance page, but they have fewer features and templates than SeedProd.

If you are comfortable with coding or want to have more control over your WordPress maintenance mode, you can use a custom function or the .htaccess file. They are free and flexible methods, but they require technical skills and can cause errors if not done correctly. They also do not offer any customization options for your maintenance page.

We hope this guide helped you learn how to enable WordPress maintenance mode in 6 ways. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below.

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