Install Docker on MacOS

This chapter covers how to install and configure Docker on macOS.

System Requirements

Docker Desktop for Mac

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4):

• macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or newer
• At least 4GB RAM

Intel chip:

• macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or newer
• At least 4GB RAM

Method 1: Download from Official Website (Recommended)

1. Download Docker Desktop

Visit Docker Desktop for Mac and download the .dmg file for your chip:

• Apple Silicon: Select "Mac with Apple chip"
• Intel: Select "Mac with Intel chip"

2. Install

Open the .dmg file and drag Docker.app to the Applications folder.

3. Launch Docker Desktop

open /Applications/Docker.app

4. Verify Installation

docker --version
docker run hello-world

Method 2: Using Homebrew

brew install --cask docker
open /Applications/Docker.app

Docker Desktop Settings

Resource Configuration

In "Settings" → "Resources":

Setting	Recommended	Description
CPUs	2-4	CPU cores allocated to Docker
Memory	4-8 GB	Memory allocated to Docker
Swap	1-2 GB	Swap space size
Disk image size	60+ GB	Virtual disk size

Docker Engine Configuration

In "Settings" → "Docker Engine", edit daemon.json:

{
  "log-driver": "json-file",
  "log-opts": {
    "max-size": "10m",
    "max-file": "3"
  }
}

Common Issues

Apple Silicon Compatibility

Some images may not have ARM64 versions:

# Force x86_64 architecture (via Rosetta 2)
docker run --platform linux/amd64 some-image

Enable "Use Rosetta for x86_64/amd64 emulation on Apple Silicon" in Docker Desktop settings.

Disk Space

docker system prune -a
docker system df

Docker Desktop Won't Start

• Ensure macOS version meets requirements
• Try resetting: Settings → Troubleshoot → Reset to factory defaults
• Delete and reinstall

Uninstall

Manual

rm -rf /Applications/Docker.app
rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker
rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker
rm -rf ~/.docker

Using Homebrew

brew uninstall --cask docker

Further Reading

• Docker Desktop for Mac
• Docker on Apple Silicon