How to Install Docker on Windows 11 (Complete Setup 2026)

Hardware and Windows requirements

• 64-bit Windows 11 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, or Education)
• At least 4 GB of RAM (8 GB or more is recommended)
• Virtualization enabled in your BIOS or UEFI firmware (called VT-x on Intel, AMD-V on AMD)
• WSL2 support (requires Windows 11 build 22000 or later, which is any current install)
• 20 GB of free disk space (Docker images and containers can grow fast)

To check your virtualization is on: press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager, click the Performance tab, click CPU, and look for “Virtualization: Enabled” in the bottom-right. If it says Disabled, you need to enable it in your BIOS.

Step 1: Enable virtualization in BIOS (if needed)

If virtualization is off, restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI setup (usually by pressing F2, F10, F12, or Del during startup depending on your motherboard). Look for a setting called:

• Intel VT-x, Intel Virtualization Technology, or VT-d
• AMD-V, SVM (Secure Virtual Machine), or AMD Virtualization

Enable it, save, and exit. Windows should now show “Virtualization: Enabled” in Task Manager.

Step 2: Enable WSL2

Docker Desktop on Windows 11 uses WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) as its backend. Enable it in one command:

# Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click Start > Windows Terminal (Admin))
wsl --install

# This command enables WSL, installs the latest Ubuntu distribution,
# and sets WSL2 as the default. Restart when prompted.

After the restart, Ubuntu opens and prompts you to create a Linux username and password. You can pick anything (this is just for WSL, not tied to your Windows account).

Verify WSL2 is working:

wsl --list --verbose
# Expected output:
#   NAME      STATE           VERSION
# * Ubuntu    Running         2

The VERSION column must be 2. If it says 1, run wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2 and wait for the conversion to complete.

Step 3: Download Docker Desktop

1. Open a browser and go to docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install.
2. Click “Docker Desktop for Windows” to download the installer (about 900 MB).
3. Save the installer to your Downloads folder.

If you have signed up for Docker Hub, you get access to private repositories after signing in. Not required for local use.

Step 4: Run the installer

1. Double-click the Docker Desktop Installer.exe file.
2. Accept the license agreement.
3. On the Configuration screen, keep both boxes checked:
   • Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V (recommended)
   • Add shortcut to desktop
4. Click Install. The installer copies files (5 to 10 minutes).
5. When it completes, click “Close and restart”.

Your PC restarts. Docker Desktop launches automatically at login.

Step 5: Sign in or skip

On first launch, Docker asks you to sign in with a Docker Hub account:

• Sign in: Free Docker Hub account gives you unlimited public image pulls and 200 pulls per 6-hour window for anonymous rate-limit relief.
• Skip: Click “Continue without signing in” if you just want to try Docker locally. You can sign in later.

Docker also asks about survey questions. Skip if you want.

Step 6: Verify with your first container

Open a fresh PowerShell (regular, not admin) and run:

docker --version
# Expected: Docker version 27.x.x, build xxxxxxx

docker run hello-world
# Expected: Docker pulls the hello-world image, runs it,
# and prints "Hello from Docker!" with an explanation.

If both commands succeed, Docker Desktop is installed and working. You are ready to build and run containers.

Configure Docker Desktop settings

Open Docker Desktop from the Start menu. Click the gear icon (Settings) at the top right. Recommended settings for most developers:

• General: “Start Docker Desktop when you sign in” – leave on so you always have Docker ready.
• Resources > WSL Integration: Enable integration with your Ubuntu (or other) WSL distros. This lets you run docker commands from inside WSL.
• Resources > Advanced: Adjust CPU cores and memory allocation. Default 2 CPUs and 8 GB RAM works for most cases. Increase if you plan to run heavy containers.
• Docker Engine: Leave default unless you have a specific reason to customize.

Common installation issues

• “WSL 2 installation is incomplete.” Run wsl --update in admin PowerShell to update WSL2 to the latest kernel. Restart and try Docker again.
• “Hardware assisted virtualization and data execution protection must be enabled in the BIOS.” Enable virtualization in BIOS (Step 1 above).
• Docker Desktop won’t start after install. Check that WSL2 is actually running: wsl --list --verbose. If Ubuntu shows VERSION 1, convert with wsl --set-version Ubuntu 2.
• “Cannot connect to the Docker daemon.” Docker Desktop is not running. Start it from the Start menu. Wait 30 seconds for the whale icon in the system tray to show green.
• Slow startup or high CPU when idle. Reduce the resource allocation in Settings > Resources > Advanced.
• Antivirus blocking Docker. Add Docker Desktop’s install folder (C:\Program Files\Docker) to your antivirus exclusion list.

What to try next

Now that Docker is installed, try:

• docker pull nginx: download the popular Nginx web server image.
• docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx: run Nginx and expose it at http://localhost:8080.
• docker ps: list running containers.
• docker compose up: run multi-container apps defined in a docker-compose.yml file.

Docker Desktop also comes with the Docker Compose plugin, so you have everything you need for local development.