Restore Applications folder to dock

I have inadvertently deleted my Applications folder from the dock. I tried accessing the Applications icon in a Finder window and then I tried to drag it down to the dock. I did so to the lower left hand of the screen, but the Applications icon went away with a cloud image. Now, I have no access to my Applications.

How do I recover access to Applications?

Solution 1:

I'm assuming you dragged this icon, from the Sidebar of a Finder window…
That, as you discovered, will remove it from the Sidebar rather than add it to the Dock.

You can get that back from Finder Menu > Prefs > Sidebar.
Re-check the Applications icon

To then add Applications to the dock, start by clicking the sidebar element you just restored, in any Finder window.
Then drag the icon from the top of that window down into the right side of the Dock [I've moved my window right to the bottom of the screen to get these pics]

Solution 2:

Open up a new finder window. And the hold down the keys cmd + shift and press the g

This will open a sheet in the window that you can type a folder path into.

type a / and hit the Go button

You should now see your applications Folder in the Finder window. Drag it to the right hand-side of the doc. where it will affix.

Solution 3:

Open Finder and go to Finder → Preferences → Sidebar and select Applications. This puts the Applications folder back in the sidebar.

To add the Applications stack back on your Dock, drag the Applications folder itself (not from the sidebar) to the right-half of your Dock.