Stacked Microsoft Apps. Won't open now.

Question

I recently just stacked icons in my toolbar on my MacBook Pro. When I went to stack my Microsoft Office apps, I went to the applications folder and dragged the black Microsoft folder to my dock. Now the apps won't open--from my toolbar or the app folder. I tried restarting my computer and they still aren't opening. I tried opening a different document and that didn't work either. Help?

Answer 1

If you don't already have a current backup, back up all data, then reinstall the OS.* You don't need to erase the startup volume, and you won't need the backup unless something goes wrong. If the system was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you may need the Apple ID and password you used.
There are ways to back up a computer that isn't fully functional. Ask if you need guidance.
If you installed the Java runtime distributed by Apple and still need it, you'll have to reinstall it. The same goes for Xcode. All other data will be preserved.
*The linked support article refers to OS X 10.10 ("Yosemite"), but the procedure is the same for OS X 10.7 ("Lion") and later.