Fix Failed WordPress Updates

When a plugin, theme, or WordPress core update fails, the first step is to identify why the update was blocked or interrupted. Siteligent provides detailed update log events on the dashboard, which can help you find the specific failure instead of repeatedly retrying the update without fixing the underlying issue.

This guide covers the most common causes of failed updates and what to check for each one.

After an update fails, review the update event details in Siteligent's dashboard.

Look for errors related to:

Once you identify the error, fix the underlying server or WordPress configuration and then retry the update.

What happens?

Siteligent may return a 403 status when attempting to perform an update.

This commonly happens when WordPress has been configured to prevent file modifications using DISALLOW_FILE_MODS.

How to fix it

Open your site's wp-config.php file and look for:

Change it to:

Alternatively, temporarily remove the DISALLOW_FILE_MODS definition.

Once file modifications are allowed, retry the update.

If your hosting provider or security policy intentionally disables WordPress file modifications, check with your administrator before changing this setting.

What happens?

An update can fail while extracting or replacing files if the server doesn't have enough available storage or WordPress cannot write to the required directories.

Typical errors include:

How to fix it

First, confirm that your hosting account has sufficient disk space.

Then check that these WordPress directories are writable:

The source recommends typical permissions of:

Also make sure the files and directories have the correct ownership for the web server user.

If you're unsure about ownership or permissions, your hosting provider can usually verify and correct them.

What happens?

Large plugins, themes, or WordPress core updates can require more resources while files are downloaded, extracted, and replaced.

An update may fail because:

Recommended PHP settings

Check your server's PHP configuration and make sure:

The recommended memory_limit is at least 256 MB, with 512 MB preferred for more demanding sites.

max_execution_time should be 60 seconds or higher.

If your hosting environment uses a different PHP configuration file or controls these values from its hosting panel, make the changes there instead.

After increasing the limits, retry the failed update.

What happens?

If an update is interrupted by a server crash, timeout, or another unexpected failure, WordPress may leave the site in maintenance mode.

You may see:

"Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance. Check back in a minute."

WordPress creates a temporary .maintenance file in the site's root directory when an update starts. If the process is interrupted, that file can remain behind.

How to fix it

Use either:

Navigate to your WordPress site's root directory and locate:

Delete the .maintenance file.

Once it is removed, your site's front end should become accessible again.

If you're not sure where to start, use this order:

If the update still fails after these checks, use the new update log output to identify the next specific error rather than repeatedly retrying the same update.