WordPress updates itself, and many plugins, in the background, and it emails the site's admin address when that goes wrong. The subject line tells you how worried to be. Most of these emails mean "nothing broke, but the update did not happen", which is fixable in a few minutes. One of them means the site may be down right now. Below is a rebuilt example (not a real client), what each email means, the five-minute check, and the fix for each cause.
| Subject line (after your site name) | What it means | How urgent |
|---|---|---|
| URGENT: Your site may be down due to a failed update | A WordPress core update started, failed part way, and could not put the old files back | Now. Open the site in a private window. If it shows an error or "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance", see the first row of the fix table |
| Background Update Failed | A core update was tried and did not complete, but the site was left on the old version | Today. The site works, but it is missing a security release |
| Some plugins have failed to update (or themes, or both) | A plugin or theme that is set to auto-update could not be updated. The email names each one. WordPress 6.6 and later also puts the old version back if the new one crashes the site | This week. Each failed plugin is still on its old version |
| WordPress x.y is available. Please update! | WordPress could not update itself and is asking you to do it from the dashboard. Often the files are not writable, or the background updates never ran | This week |
| Your site has updated to WordPress x.y, or Some plugins were automatically updated | It worked. Nothing to do except glance at the site | None |
wp-config.php. The scheduled event test tells you whether the background jobs that run the updates are running at all.| What you see | Why it happens | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| The URGENT email, and the site shows "Briefly unavailable for scheduled maintenance" or an error | The update stopped half way. WordPress leaves a file called .maintenance in the site's main folder while it updates, and a half-copied set of core files can break every page | In the host's file manager, delete .maintenance from the main folder (see stuck in maintenance mode). If the site still errors, use Dashboard > Updates > Re-install version, or upload fresh wp-admin and wp-includes folders of the same version. Never replace wp-content: that is your theme, plugins and uploads |
| Site Health says files are not writable, or updating by hand asks for FTP details | The web server is not allowed to write to the site's own files, usually after a migration or a manual upload with the wrong owner | Ask the host to set the file owner to the web server user (folders 755, files 644 is the usual target). Do not set anything to 777: that lets anyone on a shared server change your files |
| One plugin fails every time; by hand it says "Download failed", "Unauthorized" or "update package not available" | It is a paid plugin or theme whose license expired or is not entered on this site, so its update server refuses to hand over the new version | Renew or re-enter the license in that plugin's settings, or download the new version from the seller's account page and upload it under Plugins > Add New > Upload. A plugin with no updates for a year is a security risk on its own |
Site Health says background updates are disabled, or mentions a .git or .svn folder | A line in wp-config.php such as AUTOMATIC_UPDATER_DISABLED or WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE set to false turns them off, often added by a past developer. WordPress also skips automatic updates when it finds a version-control folder | If nobody updates the site by hand, remove the line (keep a copy) so security releases install themselves. If a developer deploys the site from a repository, leave it and have them update in that workflow |
| The scheduled event test fails, or you get the "Please update!" email every time | Background updates run through WordPress's scheduler (wp-cron), which only runs when someone visits. A site with few visits, a blocked wp-cron.php, or DISABLE_WP_CRON with no replacement never gets to run them | If DISABLE_WP_CRON is in wp-config.php, ask the host to call https://yoursite.com/wp-cron.php every 5 to 15 minutes. Same cause as scheduled posts not publishing |
| Updates fail with "could not copy file", "Another update is currently in progress", or time out | The disk is full, PHP ran out of time or memory during the unpack, or an earlier failed run left a lock behind | Free disk space (old backups stored inside the site are the usual culprit). A stuck lock clears itself in about 15 minutes; try again after that. Memory errors: see memory exhausted |
| The email says a plugin update was rolled back, or the site broke right after an update | The new version does not work with your PHP version, your theme or another plugin | Stay on the old version for now and turn off that plugin's auto-update in Plugins. Check its changelog and support forum for a fix, and update after it ships. A white screen or "critical error": see critical error |
wp-content folder when you re-install WordPress. That is where your site actually lives.Most of these take minutes once you know the cause; fixing file ownership with a host, recovering a site that went down mid-update, or getting a paid plugin back on its update channel is where most owners would rather have someone do it. If that is you, the box below is for that. Related: plugin or theme won't install or update, stuck in maintenance mode and outdated PHP.