Elementor stores each saved layout as a custom post type named elementor_library. When you click Delete, Elementor runs a capability check for the current user. If the check fails, the AJAX call returns a JSON error that displays the permission message.
The failure usually originates from a missing or overridden capability. Elementor’s Role Manager may have disabled the Delete Templates permission for the role. Third‑party role plugins or security extensions can also strip the required delete_posts or delete_elementor_library rights.
Another frequent trigger is a broken nonce. Caching layers, Cloudflare, or security headers sometimes remove the _wpnonce value from the request. Without a valid nonce, WordPress aborts the action and reports insufficient permission.
Out‑of‑date Elementor files sometimes contain a bug that forces the permission check to fail even when the user has the correct rights. updating Elementor and Elementor Pro resolves the issue in most cases.
In multisite environments, network settings may revoke delete capabilities for sub‑site editors. The same error appears when the MySQL user lacks DELETE privileges on the wp_posts table, although this scenario is rare.