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      • Install Docker on Windows

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

      System Requirements

      Docker Desktop Requirements

      • Windows 10 64-bit: Pro, Enterprise, or Education (Build 19041+)
      • Windows 11 64-bit: Home, Pro, Enterprise, or Education
      • WSL 2 or Hyper-V enabled
      • At least 4GB RAM
      • Hardware virtualization enabled in BIOS

      Docker Desktop recommends WSL 2 for better performance:

      1. Enable WSL

      # Run PowerShell as Administrator
wsl --install

      2. Manual Setup (if above command unavailable)

      dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart
Restart-Computer

      After restart:

      wsl --set-default-version 2

      Install Docker Desktop

      1. Download

      Visit Docker Desktop and download the Windows installer.

      2. Run Installer

      Double-click Docker Desktop Installer.exe and follow the wizard:

      • Check "Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V" (recommended)
      • Check "Add shortcut to desktop" (optional)

      3. Launch Docker Desktop

      Start Docker Desktop from the Start menu. Wait for initialization to complete on first launch.

      4. Verify Installation

      docker --version
docker run hello-world

      Docker Desktop Settings

      Resource Configuration

      In "Settings" → "Resources" → "WSL Integration":

      • Enable integration with installed WSL distributions
      • Adjust CPU and memory allocation (Hyper-V backend)

      Docker Engine Configuration

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

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

      Hyper-V Backend (Alternative)

      Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Containers -All
Restart-Computer

      Common Issues

      WSL 2 Installation Fails

      wsl --update
wsl -l -v

      Hyper-V and VirtualBox Conflict

      • Use WSL 2 backend instead of Hyper-V
      • Or disable Hyper-V when not needed: bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

      Docker Desktop Starts Slowly

      • Ensure virtualization is enabled in BIOS (Intel VT-x / AMD-V)
      • Increase Docker memory allocation
      • Close unnecessary background programs

      Windows Containers (Optional)

      Docker Desktop supports switching between Windows and Linux containers:

      • Right-click Docker icon in system tray
      • Select "Switch to Windows containers" or "Switch to Linux containers"

      💡 Use Linux containers for most cases. Windows containers are mainly for .NET Framework applications.

      Further Reading