Docker Data Folder Structure on Windows (Volume, Image, Container)

Docker Desktop on Windows doesn’t actually run on Windows itself. Instead, it runs inside a full Linux environment made possible by WSL2 — a subsystem that runs Linux natively inside Windows, so Docker behaves as if it’s running on a real Linux machine.

When you open this path in File Explorer:

\wsl.localhostdocker-desktop

…what you’re seeing is the root filesystem of the Linux instance Docker uses to manage containers, images, volumes, and more.

📁 What’s inside `\wsl.localhostdocker-desktop`?

This is a full-fledged Linux OS, with the standard directory structure. If you’re coming from Windows, it might feel a bit unfamiliar — but every folder here has its purpose:

/bin – Core system commands like ls, sh, mkdir, etc.
/etc – System config files (kind of like the Registry on Windows)
/var – Logs, cache, temp files — includes system logs, APT cache, and Docker daemon data
/home – User home directories (Docker Desktop rarely uses this)
/proc, /sys, /dev – Special interfaces for talking to the kernel, devices, and processes
/run, /tmp – Temporary runtime files and sockets
/mnt – Mount point for drives, including the virtual disk Docker stores data on

Docker folder structure: containers, images, volumes, network — Docker folder layout on Windows: containers, images, volumes, network.

This design is what allows Docker on Windows to truly operate within a real Linux environment — no emulation involved.

Where does Docker store data?

All Docker containers, images, volumes, and network data are stored inside a virtual disk file (.vhdx). This disk is mounted in Linux at:

\wsl.localhostdocker-desktopmntdocker-desktop-diskdatadocker

Inside that docker directory, you’ll find:

containers/ – Each container’s filesystem and metadata
image/ – Layers, caches, and image data
volumes/ – The actual data you save via Docker volumes
network/ – Docker’s network settings
buildkit/, tmp/ – Build-time and runtime temp files

This is the real guts of Docker Desktop — the place where all your Docker CLI actions end up.

Example:

You spin up a MySQL container with a volume for database storage:

docker run -d --name mysql-test -v mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql mysql

→ The actual database files get saved at:

\wsl.localhostdocker-desktopmntdocker-desktop-diskdatadockervolumesmysql_data

But you should NOT edit these files directly — read on to see why.

Where is the actual `.vhdx` file?

Instead of writing every container file to your physical drive, Docker packs everything into a virtual disk file:

C:Users<your_username>AppDataLocalDockerwsldataext4.vhdx

→ This file is mounted inside Linux at:

/mnt/docker-desktop-disk/

Every container, image, and volume you create via the Docker CLI lives inside this one file.

⚠️ Should you open or modify these files?

Nope. Don’t do it.
Even though you can browse \wsl.localhost... in File Explorer and see all the folders:

These are system files actively in use by Linux
Docker does not guarantee safety if you modify them manually
You can mess up file permissions, break containers, or corrupt images

The right way to access data

Copy files from a container:

Want to pull a file out of a running container?

docker cp web_app:/app/backup.zip ./backup.zip

→ This copies backup.zip from the web_app container to your current directory.

Inspect contents of a volume:

Want to see what’s inside a volume called my_logs?

docker run --rm -it -v my_logs:/data alpine sh

→ This starts a temporary container, mounts the volume at /data, and lets you cat /data/log.txt or explore it directly.

Summary

Docker Desktop on Windows runs inside a real Linux system using WSL2
The path \wsl.localhostdocker-desktop is the Linux root filesystem
All Docker data (containers, images, volumes…) lives at:
\wsl.localhostdocker-desktopmntdocker-desktop-diskdatadocker
That whole thing is stored in a virtual disk file at:
C:Users<your_username>AppDataLocalDockerwsldataext4.vhdx
You shouldn’t edit Docker files manually — use Docker CLI instead