How to activate maintenance mode in PrestaShop?

PrestaShop’s maintenance mode allows you to safely perform updates or other changes to your website without worrying that customers will encounter errors. This way, visitors will see a message about maintenance work instead of an incomplete website. In this article, we will discuss how to enable maintenance mode in PrestaShop using the administration panel and available modules.

Manually activating maintenance mode in the administration panel

PrestaShop offers a default maintenance mode feature that can be enabled without the need for additional tools or file editing. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do this:

Steps to activate maintenance mode

1. Log in to the PrestaShop administration panel .
2. Go to the Setup > section of the General store > settings (in some versions, this will be General Preferences>).
3. Find the Maintenance Mode tab.
4. Toggle Turn On Store to No to put your store in maintenance mode.
5. Add your IP address in the “IP address allowed for browsing” field – this will allow you to still have access to the store and be able to browse it while you work. You can find your IP address by typing “what is my IP address?” into Google.
6. In the Message to customers field, type a message that informs you that maintenance is in progress, e.g. “Sorry, our store is currently under maintenance. We invite you later!”
7. Click Save.

After completing these steps, customers visiting your website will see a message about maintenance mode. To disable maintenance mode, simply toggle the “Enable Store” option to “Yes”.

Maintenance mode via modules

If you want more control over the appearance and features of maintenance mode, it is worth using dedicated modules. Here are three popular modules that will help you manage maintenance mode in PrestaShop in an easy way.

1. Maintenance Mode by PrestaShop

Maintenance Mode is a simple and free module offered by PrestaShop that allows you to quickly launch Maintenance Mode.

Main Features:

• Personalized messages for customers.
• Possibility to add a countdown time until the completion of work.
• Simple setup without complicated options.

How do I activate the module?

1. Log in to your PrestaShop admin panel.
2. Go to the Modules > section of the Module Catalog.
3. Search for “Maintenance Mode”.
4. Install the module and go to its settings.
5. Configure the message and additional options and save your changes.

2. Advanced Maintenance Mode

Advanced Maintenance Mode is a more advanced module that offers additional features related to customizing the maintenance mode.

Main Features:

• Ability to add your own images, videos, or HTML code.
• Newsletter sign-up forms so that customers can leave their email.
• Option to add links to social media.

How do I activate the module?

1. Go to the Modules > Module Catalog.
2. Search for “Advanced Maintenance Mode”.
3. Install and activate the module.
4. Go to the module settings and customize the appearance and features of the maintenance page.

3. Coming Soon Page

Coming Soon Page is a module useful not only for maintenance work, but also for creating “Coming Soon” pages before the official launch of the store.

Main Features:

• Pre-made templates for “Coming Soon” and maintenance mode pages.
• Integration with email marketing tools.
• Options to customize the appearance of the website without the need for coding knowledge.

How do I activate the module?

1. Go to the Modules > section of the Module Catalog.
2. Search for “Coming Soon Page”.
3. Install and activate the module.
4. Configure the page to suit your needs and save your changes.

How do I turn off maintenance mode?

Whether you use the default function in the admin panel or one of the modules, disabling maintenance mode is very simple. Simply go to the maintenance mode or module settings and change the corresponding option to “Enable Store” or “Deactivate Maintenance Mode”.

Summary

The maintenance mode in PrestaShop is a key tool that allows you to stay professional and avoid misunderstandings with your customers when making changes to your website. You can activate it both in a simple way from the administration panel and with additional modules that offer more advanced options. This will let your customers know that the store is temporarily unavailable, and you will be able to work on improvements with peace of mind.