Install Docker Desktop on Windows

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Welcome to Docker Desktop for Windows. This page contains information about Docker Desktop for Windows system requirements, download URL, installation instructions, and automatic updates.

Docker Desktop for Windows

By downloading Docker Desktop, you agree to the terms of the Docker Software End User License Agreement and the Docker Data Processing Agreement.

System requirements

Your Windows machine must meet the following requirements to successfully install Docker Desktop.

• WSL 2 backend
• Hyper-V backend and Windows containers

Note

Docker supports Docker Desktop on Windows for those versions of Windows 10 that are still within Microsoft’s servicing timeline.

What’s included in the installer

The Docker Desktop installation includes Docker Engine, Docker CLI client, Docker Compose, Notary, Kubernetes, and Credential Helper.

Containers and images created with Docker Desktop are shared between all user accounts on machines where it is installed. This is because all Windows accounts use the same VM to build and run containers. Note that it is not possible to share containers and images between user accounts when using the Docker Desktop WSL 2 backend.

Nested virtualization scenarios, such as running Docker Desktop on a VMWare or Parallels instance might work, but there are no guarantees. For more information, see Running Docker Desktop in nested virtualization scenarios.

About Windows containers

Looking for information on using Windows containers?

• Switch between Windows and Linux containers describes how you can toggle between Linux and Windows containers in Docker Desktop and points you to the tutorial mentioned above.
• Getting Started with Windows Containers (Lab) provides a tutorial on how to set up and run Windows containers on Windows 10, Windows Server 2016 and Windows Server 2019. It shows you how to use a MusicStore application with Windows containers.
• Docker Container Platform for Windows articles and blog posts on the Docker website.

Install Docker Desktop on Windows

1. Double-click Docker Desktop Installer.exe to run the installer.

   If you haven’t already downloaded the installer (Docker Desktop Installer.exe), you can get it from Docker Hub. It typically downloads to your Downloads folder, or you can run it from the recent downloads bar at the bottom of your web browser.

2. When prompted, ensure the Enable Hyper-V Windows Features or the Install required Windows components for WSL 2 option is selected on the Configuration page.

3. Follow the instructions on the installation wizard to authorize the installer and proceed with the install.

4. When the installation is successful, click Close to complete the installation process.

5. If your admin account is different to your user account, you must add the user to the docker-users group. Run Computer Management as an administrator and navigate to Local Users and Groups > Groups > docker-users. Right-click to add the user to the group. Log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

Start Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop does not start automatically after installation. To start Docker Desktop, search for Docker, and select Docker Desktop in the search results.

When the whale icon in the status bar stays steady, Docker Desktop is up-and-running, and is accessible from any terminal window.

If the whale icon is hidden in the Notifications area, click the up arrow on the taskbar to show it. To learn more, see Docker Settings.

When the initialization is complete, Docker Desktop launches the onboarding tutorial. The tutorial includes a simple exercise to build an example Docker image, run it as a container, push and save the image to Docker Hub.

Congratulations! You are now successfully running Docker Desktop on Windows.

If you would like to rerun the tutorial, go to the Docker Desktop menu and select Learn.

Updates

Starting with Docker Desktop 3.0.0, updates to Docker Desktop will be available as delta updates from the previous version. When an update is available, Docker Desktop displays an icon to indicate the availability of a newer version. You can choose when to start the download and installation process.

To encourage developers to stay up to date, Docker Desktop displays a reminder two weeks after an update becomes available. You can dismiss this daily reminder by clicking Snooze.

If you have a Pro or a Team subscription, you can skip notifications for a particular update when a reminder appears. Free users will not be required to install any particular update. However, you’ll continue to get reminders to update, which you can dismiss.

Click Download update When you are ready to download the update. This downloads the update in the background. After downloading the update, click Update and restart from the Docker menu. This installs the latest update and restarts Docker Desktop for the changes to take effect.

Uninstall Docker Desktop

To uninstall Docker Desktop from your Windows machine:

1. From the Windows Start menu, select Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
2. Select Docker Desktop from the Apps & features list and then select Uninstall.
3. Click Uninstall to confirm your selection.

Important

Uninstalling Docker Desktop destroys Docker containers, images, volumes, and other Docker related data local to the machine, and removes the files generated by the application. Refer to the back up and restore data section to learn how to preserve important data before uninstalling.

Where to go next

• Getting started introduces Docker Desktop for Windows.
• Get started with Docker is a tutorial that teaches you how to deploy a multi-service stack.
• Troubleshooting describes common problems, workarounds, and how to get support.
• FAQs provide answers to frequently asked questions.
• Release notes lists component updates, new features, and improvements associated with Docker Desktop releases.
• Back up and restore data provides instructions on backing up and restoring data related to Docker.