How to Install Docker Desktop on Windows 11

Docker is the most popular containerization platform today. It allows you to package your applications along with their entire runtime environment (libraries, configs, etc.) into an independent block — called a container. On Windows 11, Docker works stably thanks to tight integration with WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2).

This guide explains how to properly install Docker Desktop on Windows 11, with detailed step-by-step instructions to help you avoid common issues.

1. System Requirements

Component	Requirement
Operating System	Windows 11, version 21H2 or later
CPU	Virtualization support; usually enabled in BIOS
RAM	At least 8GB if running multiple containers simultaneously
WSL2	Required – Docker runs entirely on top of WSL2

Check if Virtualization is enabled:

Open Task Manager → go to the Performance tab → look for the line “Virtualization: Enabled”

If you see “Virtualization: Disabled”, the following resources might be useful:

2. Enable WSL2

Docker Desktop does not use Hyper-V (except in special cases). Starting with Windows 11, WSL2 is the main backend Docker relies on to run the Linux environment.

👉 How to enable WSL2:

Open PowerShell as Administrator and enter:

wsl --install --no-distribution

This command will:

Enable the WSL feature
Automatically install the Linux kernel
Not include any Linux distribution

Restart your computer afterward — this is necessary to avoid the common “WSL 2 installation is incomplete” error, even if the command ran successfully.

3. Install Docker Desktop

Step 1: Download the official installer from: 👉 https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

Step 2: Run the downloaded file Docker Desktop Installer.exe

Check these options:

✅ Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V
✅ Add shortcut to desktop (optional)

Docker Desktop will automatically create a dedicated WSL2 distro named docker-desktop. This is where the Docker Engine and container ecosystem will run.

4. Verify Docker Is Working

Open CMD or PowerShell and run:

docker version

→ If both Client and Server info appear, Docker is installed successfully.

Run a sample container:

docker run hello-world

→ If you see the line Hello from Docker!, Docker is working properly.

5. Where Does Docker Store Data on Windows?

Docker does not store data in C: like traditional apps. All Docker data — images, containers, volumes — are stored inside WSL2, specifically within the docker-desktop distro.

Storage location:

\wsl$docker-desktopmntdocker-desktop-diskdatadocker

Here you’ll find:

containers/ – running containers
images/ – pulled or built images
volumes/ – data mounted to containers
overlay2/ – layered file systems

⚠️ Note: This is a system-level directory. You can explore everything, but only make changes if you fully understand what you’re doing — to avoid unexpected errors.

6. Resource Management (RAM/CPU)

WSL2 dynamically uses resources based on demand but does not automatically release RAM after containers stop.

To limit resources:

Create a config file at:

C:Users<your-username>.wslconfig

Contents:

[wsl2]
memory=4GB
processors=2

Then, run the following command to apply changes:

wsl --shutdown

Key Notes

Docker Desktop only uses WSL2 with the docker-desktop distro.
The docker-desktop-data distro is no longer in use.
Paths like \wsl.localhost... are outdated – ignore any older guides that refer to them.
Docker’s folder structure is an isolated and performance-optimized filesystem that enables containers to run fast, lightweight, and efficiently.