PrestaShop maintenance mode: how to turn it on without losing customers
PrestaShop maintenance mode is a technical break: customers see a page with a message, while you and anyone whose IP address you have added work on a functioning store. You turn it on in Shop Parameters → General → Maintenance. Plan it in hours, not days, and always write a message with the time you will be back.
Author: The TellMyShop team. A guide for PrestaShop store owners: the cause, the manual fix and the same work in a chat conversation.
Last updated: · 6 min read
When should you turn on maintenance mode?
When a customer could land on the store halfway through changes and place an order that cannot be fulfilled. Typical situations:
- updating PrestaShop or the theme,
- moving to a new server,
- a large import of products or prices whose results you need to check,
- changing a payment or shipping module.
For small changes, such as a product description, a button colour or a new banner, a break is not needed. Closing the store for every fix costs more than it gives. We describe the full list of preparations for an update in the post on upgrading to PrestaShop 9.
How to turn on maintenance mode step by step
The screen has three settings, described in the PrestaShop guide to maintenance.
- Go to Shop Parameters → General and open the Maintenance tab.
- Next to enable store, choose No.
- In the IP address field, click the button to add your own address. Add the addresses of the people working with you, for example a developer, separated by commas.
- Write the message for customers in every language of the store.
- Save.
- Check the store as a customer would: on a phone with wi-fi turned off or on another network.
Turning it off works the same way, you just choose Yes next to enable store. InMotion Hosting's guide has similar instructions with screenshots.
Also remember the people who work in the store during the break, for example the warehouse. The admin works as usual, but they will only see the store preview from an address added to the list.
A note for remote work: a home IP address can change. If after a few hours you suddenly see the maintenance page instead of the store, add the address again.
How to plan the break so it stays short
The break is short when you do most of the work before turning it on. You close the store only for the part that cannot be done with the doors open.
- Test the changes on a test copy of the store.
- Make a backup of the files and database just before the break.
- Choose the time with the least traffic. You can find it in your visit statistics.
- Write down the list of steps and the person who decides about going back to the previous version if something goes wrong.
- After the work, check the cart and place a test order before you turn the break off.
What to write in the maintenance message
Three things: that the store will be back, when it will be back and how to get in touch about something urgent.
| Element | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| what is happening | “We are updating the store.” | the customer knows it is not a failure or the end of the business |
| when you'll be back | “We'll be back today at 14:00.” | the customer knows when to return; without a time they usually don't |
| contact | “Urgent matters: [email protected]” | a customer with an order on its way is not left without an answer |
| languages | the same text in every store language | a customer from another language version does not see a blank page |
The time and address in the examples are illustrative. Don't promise a time you might not keep. It is better to write “around 14:00” and be back early.
How long can maintenance last as far as Google is concerned?
A few hours is usually not a problem. In its guide to planned downtime, Google recommends that during work the site should return a 503 code, meaning “temporarily unavailable”, rather than an ordinary error page. It also warns that a 503 kept up for a long time can end with pages being removed from results.
What to check during and after the break:
- Response code. The maintenance page should return 503, and the store should return 200 again once it is back.
- Product feeds. Price comparison sites and Google Merchant Center may fail to fetch your product feed during the break. After a longer break, check the diagnostics in Merchant Center the next day.
- Integrations. The store's web services keep working, as the PrestaShop documentation points out. A wholesaler or marketplace may change stock and orders during this time.
- Cache. After turning the break off, clear it and check that customers are not seeing the old maintenance page. The post PrestaShop changes not showing will help.
How TellMyShop helps with maintenance
The simplest thing is to turn the break on and off yourself in the admin, it takes a few clicks. Getting the store back should not depend on any conversation or tool, so you can always turn it off yourself in Shop Parameters → General → Maintenance.
Your chat (Claude or ChatGPT) helps with everything around it. It prepares the message in every store language, puts the work plan in order and, once you are back, checks the home page, a category and a product page: the response code, the title and redirects.
You: Tomorrow from 10 to 14 we're updating the store. Prepare a maintenance message in English and French, and after 14 check that everything is back.
Your chat: Suggested message:
Paste it into Shop Parameters → General → Maintenance and add your IP address. Write to me after 14 and I'll check the home page and the three most visited product pages.
You: The store is back on, check it.
Your chat: The home page and three product pages respond with a 200 code, titles and canonical addresses unchanged. There are no new errors in the log since 10:00.
Card status: waiting for your “yes”old version: (empty message)
new version: EN: We are updating the store. We will be back today around 14:00. Urgent matters: [email protected]
new version: FR: Nous mettons à jour la boutique. Retour aujourd'hui vers 14h00. Urgent : [email protected]
Checking the site once it is back already works in the free TellMyShop Free, because it only reads. In TellMyShop Pro the chat also reads the maintenance settings, and with the Service switch on it changes them with a preview and your agreement. The Service switch gives full technical access for 3 hours and needs a database backup made the same day, so during longer work it may expire before the break ends. An example of changing a setting hidden in the admin is in the use case changing a setting buried deep in the admin. The version comparison is on the pricing page.
Questions and answers
Where do I turn on maintenance mode in PrestaShop?
In Shop Parameters → General, on the Maintenance tab. You switch the enable store option to No, add your IP address and write a message for customers. After saving, customers see a page with the message, and you see the store.
Does maintenance mode hurt my Google rankings?
A short break usually does not. Google advises that during work the site should return a 503 code, which means temporarily unavailable. The problem starts with a break lasting many days, because Google may begin removing pages from its results.
Why can't I see the maintenance page?
Because your IP address is on the list of addresses that see the store during maintenance. That is how it should be. To see the store as a customer does, open it on a phone with wi-fi turned off or on another network.
Can a customer place an order during maintenance?
A customer without your IP address cannot get into the store, so cannot order through the site. The store's web services, which integrations use for example, keep working unless you turn them off separately. Check that orders from marketplaces won't arrive during the break.
Can the chat turn on maintenance mode?
TellMyShop Pro can change this setting with the Service switch on, which lasts 3 hours. For a short break it is simpler to switch it yourself in the admin. The chat helps prepare the message in every language, plan the work and check the store once it is back.
PrestaShop is a registered trademark of PrestaShop SA. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic PBC. ChatGPT and OpenAI are trademarks of OpenAI. TellMyShop is not affiliated with these companies.