# How to Turn On Maintenance Mode with JetHost Total Care

> Canonical: https://jethost.com/kb/maintenance-mode-with-jethost-total-care/ · Last modified: 2026-10-21T11:17:41+00:00

Making big changes to a live site? **Activate Under Maintenance Mode** in [JetHost Total Care](https://wordpress.org/plugins/jethost-total-care/) shows visitors a friendly “we’ll be back” page while you work, so they don’t see a half-finished site. This guide shows how, on any [JetHost WordPress hosting](https://jethost.com/hosting-for-wordpress/) plan.

## Turn on maintenance mode

1. In your WordPress dashboard, open **JetHost Total Care → Admin Enhancements**.
2. Toggle on **Activate Under Maintenance Mode**.

![Activate Under Maintenance Mode option in JetHost Total Care](https://jethost.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/jtc-opt-maintenance-mode.png)Visitors now see a maintenance notice instead of your pages, while you – logged in as an administrator – can still browse and edit the real site normally. That lets you update, test, and fix things without anyone landing on a broken page mid-work.

## When to use it

Switch it on for anything that could briefly break the front end: a theme change, a major plugin update, or restructuring pages. Keep the window short and turn it off the moment you’re done so visitors see the finished result. For a brand-new site that isn’t ready at all, [Password Protect the Website](https://jethost.com/kb/password-protect-website-with-jethost-total-care/) is often the better fit – use maintenance mode for short, planned work on an existing site.

## Why maintenance mode matters

When you update a theme, run a major plugin update, or restructure pages on a live site, the front end can briefly look broken – half-styled pages, missing sections, or a PHP error. Anyone who visits at that moment sees your site at its worst, which hurts trust and can even be captured by a search engine crawler. Maintenance mode prevents that by showing visitors a tidy “we’ll be back” notice while you work, so they never land on a broken page.

## Keep the window short

Because administrators still see the real site while logged in, you can update, test, and confirm everything works before switching the notice off – visitors only ever see the finished result. Keep the maintenance window as short as you can: a brief, planned notice is harmless, but leaving a site in maintenance mode for a long time can affect how search engines crawl it. For a brand-new site that isn’t ready at all, [Password Protect the Website](https://jethost.com/kb/password-protect-website-with-jethost-total-care/) is the better fit; use maintenance mode for short, planned work on a site that’s already live.

## JetHost Experts Tip

Doing planned maintenance? Turn this on first, make your changes, check the site while logged in, then switch it off – visitors only ever see a tidy notice, never a broken page.

## Need More Help?

Maintenance page not showing, or showing to you by mistake? [Reach out](https://jethost.com/contact-us/) and our team will help.