WordPress looks for the Elementor core files in the directory wp-content/plugins/elementor/. When the folder is missing, renamed, or unreadable, the plugin loader stops. The error appears on the Elementor admin screen and blocks the editor.
The problem often follows a failed update, a manual FTP change, or a server restriction that prevents PHP from reading the folder. Permissions that deny the web server access also trigger the message. On case‑sensitive Linux hosts, a folder named Elementor instead of elementor breaks the path lookup.
WordPress stores the active plugin list in the database. If the stored path points to a non‑existent folder, the loader still reports the folder missing even though the plugin entry is marked active. Security modules such as open_basedir or mod_security may block file reads, producing the same symptom.