Install Docker Desktop on Windows

This page provides download links, system requirements, and step-by-step installation instructions for Docker Desktop on Windows.

System Requirements#

• WSL version 2.1.5 or later. To check your version, see WSL: Verification and setup
• Windows 10 64-bit: Enterprise, Pro, or Education version 22H2 (build 19045).
• Windows 11 64-bit: Enterprise, Pro, or Education version 23H2 (build 22631) 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
  • 4GB system RAM
  • Enable hardware virtualization in BIOS/UEFI. For more information, see Virtualization.

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

Download Links#

Docker Desktop for Windows - x86_64

Docker Desktop for Windows - x86_64 on the Microsoft Store

Install Interactively#

1. Download the installer using the download links given 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.
   On systems that support only one backend, Docker Desktop automatically selects the available option.
4. Follow the instructions on the installation wizard to authorize the installer and proceed with the installation.
5. When the installation is successful, select Close to complete the installation process.
6. Start Docker Desktop.

If your administrator account is different to your user account, you must add the user to the docker-users group to access features that require higher privileges, such as creating and managing the Hyper-V VM, or using Windows containers:

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.

Conclusion#

Installing Docker Desktop on Windows is straightforward when system requirements are properly configured, especially WSL 2 and hardware virtualization. Once installed and user permissions are set correctly, Docker Desktop provides a complete local environment for building, running, and managing containerized applications efficiently.