The site is stuck in maintenance mode.
WHAT IT MEANS
WordPress creates a file called .maintenance during updates and removes it when finished.
An interrupted update leaves the file behind, and the site stays in maintenance mode indefinitely.
THE FIX
Delete the .maintenance file from the WordPress root directory.
In cPanel File Manager, enable Show Hidden Files in the settings, since the leading dot hides it.
The site returns immediately.
WHY THE UPDATE FAILED
Check whether the update actually completed. The site may be in a mixed state.
Common causes: a timeout, insufficient memory, disk space, or a connection interruption.
AFTER DELETING IT
Check the site works properly. Run any pending database update.
Go to Dashboard > Updates and confirm the version is what you expect.
If the update partly applied, re-run it.
PREVENTING IT
Back up before updating Update over a stable connection Raise the execution time limit before large updates Update one thing at a time
