MacOS 12.3 can't open dock icons

Mark Scott wrote:

MacOS 12.3 can't open dock icons

Reboot the machine and test.

If no resolve try a safeboot

To trouble shoot further you can:

—Try a SafeBoot How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

Takes noticeable longer to get to the login screen, does a 5 minute disk repair before it fully boots up, and certain system caches get cleared and rebuilt, including dynamic loader cache, etc.

Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.

In Safe mode third party system modifications and system accelerations are disabled, it removes malware, etc hampering smooth operation, however a reboot will put it back to normal mode.

This test will tell you if third party interference; extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.

—Test issue in another user (or guest user) account Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac - Apple Support

This will tell you if it a universal issue or isolated to your user/admin account. 

Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus

all known to cause issues on the macOS

I'm having same problem with MacOS 12.3. Can not launch dock icons. Have tried all the suggestions and find that after restarting a couple time, it may or may not work. With the dock apps not working 90% of the time and the major problem with the system losing smart object links in Photoshop, Im sending more time making the system work than my projects....

Work around for dock icons not working.... just make "aliases" for most used apps, lined up close to dock icons.

Please Apple resolve these asap. Thanks!

When things work fine in Safe Mode but then do not work when booted normally, it always suggests a third party software modification is to blame.

Please run Etrecheck and post its full report here. Use the "additional text" button and paste the report into the text box.

You apparently have been upgrading in place for many years and across different macs. While that is quite convenient, over time you accumulate old extensions and daemons. At some point, old stuff can break. You have stuff from as far back as Mountain Lion.

Do a full backup, preferably two.

Erase and install, then migrate ONLY the user accounts. Install your applications fresh from the App Store or their developers websites. You will find that your mac will perform as it should.

Note: if you feel this is something you are not ready for, install on sn external SSD first and test.