In short. Use Maintenance IP and Add my IP to keep selected reviewers in the PrestaShop storefront while maintenance mode is active.
Definition: As of October 2026, PrestaShop maintenance mode temporarily deactivates the front office. An authorized maintenance IP address keeps that front office accessible from a selected computer while the shop is disabled.
Key facts
- PrestaShop's maintenance article places the setting at Store Settings > General Settings > Maintenance.
- The store is put into maintenance by changing Activate store to No, and it is brought back online by changing the setting to Yes.
- Add my IP adds the IP address of the computer being used. Several addresses can be entered by separating them with commas.
- The PrestaShop maintenance guide describes three options: Enable Shop, Maintenance IP, and Custom maintenance text. Its Maintenance documentation says that a maintenance IP lets people access the shop even when it is disabled.
- The guide states that the webservice remains active while the shop is disabled, so data remains available to people with a key.
How does maintenance mode work?
Maintenance mode is a back-office setting that disables the storefront while work is in progress. PrestaShop's Help Center describes this as temporary front office deactivation and says it is useful when the store should not be accessible to customers or indexed by search engines. The setting is reached through Store Settings > General Settings > Maintenance, or through the Maintenance Mode control shown at the top right of the back office when the store is already in maintenance.
The relevant controls are:
Activate store: No
Maintenance IP: Add my IP
Custom maintenance text
After changing Activate store, select Save. The Help Center states that the change is only taken into account after saving. Returning Activate store to Yes brings the store back online.
How does an authorized IP exception work?
The Maintenance IP field is an allowlist for the storefront during maintenance. The PrestaShop guide says that it can prevent everyone on the Internet from accessing the shop while allowing the computers used by the team to access it. The same guide calls the setting Maintenance IP and explains that it allows people to access the shop even if it is disabled.
Select Add my IP when the current computer should be allowed. The Help Center says that this control automatically adds the IP address of the computer being used. For a review team using more than one network, enter multiple IP addresses separated by commas, as the documentation specifies. Each reviewer therefore needs to connect from a computer whose address is in the field.
This exception concerns access to the front office. It does not switch the shop back to public operation, and the documentation describes the maintenance page separately as a place for a custom message to customers.
What should a reviewer check?
First, the shop owner can set Activate store to No, select Add my IP, and save the setting. The Help Center says that the store is displayed from the maintenance IP address only, so the review should be made from the allowed computer or network. A second check from a computer whose address is not listed can confirm that the public storefront remains in maintenance mode.
The maintenance guide identifies the custom message as a separate option. It says that the message appears on the maintenance page and can explain why the shop is unavailable and when it will return. The guide also states that the webservice remains active during maintenance. A shop that needs the webservice disabled must change that separately in the Webservice preference page under Advanced parameters.
Related terms
- How do I generate robots.txt in PrestaShop?
- Where do I set the shop domain in PrestaShop?
- Crawler IP verification
FAQ
How can I keep my own computer allowed during maintenance?
Set Activate store to No, select Add my IP, and click Save. The Help Center says that Add my IP adds the address of the computer being used.
Can several reviewers access the disabled shop?
Yes. Enter their maintenance IP addresses in the field and separate them with commas. Access remains limited to the listed addresses while the shop is disabled.
Does maintenance mode also disable the webservice?
No. The PrestaShop maintenance guide says that the webservice remains active and that data stays available to people with a key. It directs administrators to the Webservice preference page in Advanced parameters to disable it separately.
Sources
- PrestaShop Help Center, "Put a store in maintenance", updated 12 September 2026
- PrestaShop, "Maintenance", undated
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