Docker Desktop terms

Commercial use of Docker Desktop in larger enterprises (more than 250 employees OR more than $10 million USD in annual revenue) requires a paid subscription.

This page contains the download URL, information about system requirements, and instructions on how to install Docker Desktop for Windows.

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For checksums, see Release notes

System requirements#

[!TIP]

Should I use Hyper-V or WSL?

Docker Desktop's functionality remains consistent on both WSL and Hyper-V, without a preference for either architecture. Hyper-V and WSL have their own advantages and disadvantages, depending on your specific set up and your planned use case.

{ { < tabs > } } { { < tab name="WSL 2 backend, x86_64" > } }

  • WSL version 1.1.3.0 or later.
  • Windows 11 64-bit: Home or Pro version 21H2 or higher, or Enterprise or Education version 21H2 or higher.
  • Windows 10 64-bit:
  • We recommend Home or Pro 22H2 (build 19045) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 22H2 (build 19045) or higher.
  • Minimum required is Home or Pro 21H2 (build 19044) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 21H2 (build 19044) or higher.
  • Turn on the WSL 2 feature on Windows. For detailed instructions, refer to the Microsoft documentation.
  • The following hardware prerequisites are required to successfully run WSL 2 on Windows 10 or Windows 11:
  • 64-bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
  • 4GB system RAM
  • Enable hardware virtualization in BIOS. For more information, see Virtualization.

For more information on setting up WSL 2 with Docker Desktop, see WSL.

[!NOTE]

Docker only supports Docker Desktop on Windows for those versions of Windows that are still within Microsoft’s servicing timeline. Docker Desktop is not supported on server versions of Windows, such as Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2022. For more information on how to run containers on Windows Server, see Microsoft's official documentation.

[!IMPORTANT]

To run Windows containers, you need Windows 10 or Windows 11 Professional or Enterprise edition. Windows Home or Education editions only allow you to run Linux containers.

{ { < /tab > } } { { < tab name="Hyper-V backend, x86_64" > } }

  • Windows 11 64-bit: Home or Pro version 21H2 or higher, or Enterprise or Education version 21H2 or higher.
  • Windows 10 64-bit:
  • Home or Pro 22H2 (build 19045) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 22H2 (build 19045) or higher is recommended.
  • Minimum required is Home or Pro 21H2 (build 19044) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 21H2 (build 19044) or higher.
  • Turn on Hyper-V and Containers Windows features.

  • The following hardware prerequisites are required to successfully run Client Hyper-V on Windows 10:

  • 64 bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)

  • 4GB system RAM
  • Turn on BIOS-level hardware virtualization support in the BIOS settings. For more information, see Virtualization.

[!NOTE]

Docker only supports Docker Desktop on Windows for those versions of Windows that are still within Microsoft’s servicing timeline. Docker Desktop is not supported on server versions of Windows, such as Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2022. For more information on how to run containers on Windows Server, see Microsoft's official documentation.

[!IMPORTANT]

To run Windows containers, you need Windows 10 or Windows 11 Professional or Enterprise edition. Windows Home or Education editions only allow you to run Linux containers.

{ { < /tab > } } { { < tab name="WSL 2 backend, Arm (Beta)" > } }

  • WSL version 1.1.3.0 or later.
  • Windows 11 64-bit: Home or Pro version 21H2 or higher, or Enterprise or Education version 21H2 or higher.
  • Windows 10 64-bit:
  • Home or Pro 22H2 (build 19045) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 22H2 (build 19045) or higher is recommended.
  • Minimum required is Home or Pro 21H2 (build 19044) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 21H2 (build 19044) or higher.
  • Turn on the WSL 2 feature on Windows. For detailed instructions, refer to the Microsoft documentation.
  • The following hardware prerequisites are required to successfully run WSL 2 on Windows 10 or Windows 11:
  • 64-bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
  • 4GB system RAM
  • Enable hardware virtualization in BIOS. For more information, see Virtualization.

[!IMPORTANT]

Windows containers are not supported.

{ { < /tab > } } { { < /tabs > } }

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.

Running Docker Desktop inside a VMware ESXi or Azure VM is supported for Docker Business customers. It requires enabling nested virtualization on the hypervisor first. For more information, see Running Docker Desktop in a VM or VDI environment.

{ { < accordion title="How do I switch between Windows and Linux containers?" > } }

From the Docker Desktop menu, you can toggle which daemon (Linux or Windows) the Docker CLI talks to. Select Switch to Windows containers to use Windows containers, or select Switch to Linux containers to use Linux containers (the default).

For more information on Windows containers, refer to the following documentation:

[!NOTE]

When you switch to Windows containers, Settings only shows those tabs that are active and apply to your Windows containers.

If you set proxies or daemon configuration in Windows containers mode, these apply only on Windows containers. If you switch back to Linux containers, proxies and daemon configurations return to what you had set for Linux containers. Your Windows container settings are retained and become available again when you switch back.

{ { < /accordion > } }

Install Docker Desktop on Windows#

Install interactively#

  1. Download the installer using the download button at the top of the page, or from the release notes.

  2. Double-click Docker Desktop Installer.exe to run the installer. By default, Docker Desktop is installed at C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker.

  3. When prompted, ensure the Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V option on the Configuration page is selected or not depending on your choice of backend.

If your system only supports one of the two options, you won't be able to select which backend to use.

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

  2. When the installation is successful, select Close to complete the installation process.

  3. Start Docker Desktop.

If your administrator account is different to your user account, you must add the user to the docker-users group: 1. Run Computer Management as an administrator. 2. Navigate to Local Users and Groups > Groups > docker-users. 3. Right-click to add the user to the group. 4. Sign out and sign back in for the changes to take effect.

Install from the command line#

After downloading Docker Desktop Installer.exe, run the following command in a terminal to install Docker Desktop:

$ "Docker Desktop Installer.exe" install

If you’re using PowerShell you should run it as:

Start-Process 'Docker Desktop Installer.exe' -Wait install

If using the Windows Command Prompt:

start /w "" "Docker Desktop Installer.exe" install

By default, Docker Desktop is installed at C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker.

The install command accepts the following flags: - --quiet: Suppresses information output when running the installer - --accept-license: Accepts the Docker Subscription Service Agreement now, rather than requiring it to be accepted when the application is first run - --no-windows-containers: Disables the Windows containers integration - --allowed-org=<org name>: Requires the user to sign in and be part of the specified Docker Hub organization when running the application - --backend=<backend name>: Selects the default backend to use for Docker Desktop, hyper-v, windows or wsl-2 (default) - --installation-dir=<path>: Changes the default installation location (C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker) - --admin-settings: Automatically creates an admin-settings.json file which is used by admins to control certain Docker Desktop settings on client machines within their organization. For more information, see Settings Management. - It must be used together with the --allowed-org=<org name> flag. - For example:

```text
--allowed-org=<org name> --admin-settings='{"configurationFileVersion": 2, "enhancedContainerIsolation": {"value": true, "locked": false}}'
```
  • --proxy-http-mode=<mode>: Sets the HTTP Proxy mode, system (default) or manual
  • --override-proxy-http=<URL>: Sets the URL of the HTTP proxy that must be used for outgoing HTTP requests, requires --proxy-http-mode to be manual
  • --override-proxy-https=<URL>: Sets the URL of the HTTP proxy that must be used for outgoing HTTPS requests, requires --proxy-http-mode to be manual
  • --override-proxy-exclude=<hosts/domains>: Bypasses proxy settings for the hosts and domains. Uses a comma-separated list.
  • --proxy-enable-kerberosntlm: Enables Kerberos and NTLM proxy authentication. If you are enabling this, ensure your proxy server is properly configured for Kerberos/NTLM authentication. Available with Docker Desktop 4.32 and later.
  • --hyper-v-default-data-root=<path>: Specifies the default location for the Hyper-V VM disk.
  • --windows-containers-default-data-root=<path>: Specifies the default location for the Windows containers.
  • --wsl-default-data-root=<path>: Specifies the default location for the WSL distribution disk.
  • --always-run-service: After installation completes, starts com.docker.service and sets the service startup type to Automatic. This circumvents the need for administrator privileges, which are otherwise necessary to start com.docker.service. com.docker.service is required by Windows containers and Hyper-V backend.

[!NOTE]

If you're using PowerShell, you need to use the ArgumentList parameter before any flags. For example: powershell Start-Process 'Docker Desktop Installer.exe' -Wait -ArgumentList 'install', '--accept-license'

If your admin account is different to your user account, you must add the user to the docker-users group:

$ net localgroup docker-users <user> /add

Start Docker Desktop#

Docker Desktop does not start automatically after installation. To start Docker Desktop:

  1. Search for Docker, and select Docker Desktop in the search results.

  2. The Docker menu ({ { < inline-image src="images/whale-x.svg" alt="whale menu" > } }) displays the Docker Subscription Service Agreement.

{ { < include "desktop-license-update.md" > } }

  1. Select Accept to continue. Docker Desktop starts after you accept the terms.

Note that Docker Desktop won't run if you do not agree to the terms. You can choose to accept the terms at a later date by opening Docker Desktop.

For more information, see Docker Desktop Subscription Service Agreement. It is recommended that you read the FAQs.

[!TIP]

As an IT administrator, you can use endpoint management (MDM) software to identify the number of Docker Desktop instances and their versions within your environment. This can provide accurate license reporting, help ensure your machines use the latest version of Docker Desktop, and enable you to enforce sign-in. - Intune - Jamf - Kandji - Kolide - Workspace One

Where to go next#