This guide covers one thing: installing Docker Desktop on Windows 11 and verifying it runs.

No instructions for macOS, Ubuntu, or other Linux distros. Those platforms need different steps.

What is Docker Desktop?

Docker Desktop provides a GUI, Docker CLI, and Docker Engine so developers can work with containers on Windows.

Basic workflow:

Docker Architecture Flow

PowerShell
↓		 → Docker CLI
↓		 → Docker Desktop
↓		 → Image & Container

Image: Package containing everything needed to run an application

Container: Running instance created from an image

When you run an image that doesn’t exist locally, Docker pulls it from the registry, creates a container, then executes the command declared in the image.

Prerequisites

Your machine must meet these requirements:

ComponentRequirement
Windows11 64-bit (supported version)
RAM8 GB minimum (recommended)
VirtualizationEnabled in BIOS/UEFI
WSLInstalled and updated
DiskEnough space for images, containers, volumes

Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select Performance → CPU and verify:

Virtualization: Enabled

If it shows Disabled, enable virtualization in BIOS or UEFI before continuing.

Check Windows Version

Press Windows + R, type winver.

The About Windows dialog shows your edition, version, and OS build.

Or check via PowerShell:

Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object WindowsProductName, WindowsVersion, OsBuildNumber

Expected output:

WindowsProductName    WindowsVersion    OsBuildNumber
------------------    --------------    -------------
Windows 11 Pro        23H2              22631

Build numbers vary per machine. What matters is that Windows is still within its support window.

Check Virtualization

Open PowerShell and run:

Get-CimInstance Win32_Processor | Select-Object Name, VirtualizationFirmwareEnabled

Expected result:

VirtualizationFirmwareEnabled
-----------------------------
                        True

If the value is False, Docker Desktop may fail to start.

BIOS/UEFI option names vary by CPU:

CPUOption
IntelIntel Virtualization Technology / Intel VT-x
AMDAMD-V / SVM Mode

Set Up WSL

Docker Desktop uses WSL 2 as the default backend on most Windows 11 machines.

Open PowerShell as Administrator:

wsl --install

If WSL is already installed, update it with:

wsl --update

Then verify:

wsl --version

Set WSL 2 as the default version:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Restart Windows if prompted.

Download and Install Docker Desktop

  1. Download the installer from the official site: Docker Desktop for Windows
  2. Run Docker Desktop Installer.exe
  3. Keep WSL 2 as the backend option
  4. Restart Windows if asked
  5. Open Docker Desktop and wait until Docker Engine shows Engine running

Verify Docker CLI

After Docker Desktop starts, open a new PowerShell window:

docker --version

This only confirms the Docker CLI is installed. Continue to check connection to Docker Engine:

docker version

Success must show both Client and Server sections:

Client:
 Version:           ...

Server: Docker Desktop
Engine:
Version:          …

If only the Client section appears, the CLI is installed but can’t connect to the Docker Engine.

Verify Docker Engine & Run Test Container

Check Engine info:

docker info

Run a test container:

docker run --rm hello-world

Success output contains:

Hello from Docker!

If you see this message, Docker CLI connected to Docker Engine, the image was pulled, and the container ran successfully.

Basic Verification Commands

# List downloaded images
docker image ls

# List running containers
docker container ls


# List all containers (including stopped)
docker container ls —all


# Check Docker disk usage
docker system df

Note: Don't run docker system prune --all unless you understand what data will be deleted.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Step 1 — Docker Error?

Step 2 — Is Docker Engine running?

Status Action
Not Running → Follow Path A below
Running → Follow Path B below

Path A — Docker Engine Not Running

Step 1: Check if Docker Desktop is open

Step 2: Update WSL via PowerShell

wsl --update
wsl --shutdown

Step 3: Reopen Docker Desktop

Go back to Step 2 — Is Engine running now?

Yes → Docker works!
No → Go back to Step 2

Path B — Engine Running But Still Failing

Engine running? → Continue troubleshooting

Can't Pull Images?

Yes

Open Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources → Proxies

Check if VPN/Proxy is interfering

Proxy disabled?

  • → Yes: Docker works!
  • → No: Disable VPN/Proxy and retry
No Docker works!

Fix 1 — Docker Engine Not Running (error during connect)

  • Check if Docker Desktop is open
  • Try updating and restarting WSL:
wsl --update
wsl --shutdown
  • Reopen Docker Desktop

Fix 2 — Can’t Pull Images (docker pull)

  • Open Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources → Proxies
  • Check if Proxy or VPN configuration is interfering with network connections

After Completion

Docker Desktop is ready when all three checks pass:

docker --version           # Verify CLI installed
docker version             # Verify CLI connects to Engine
docker run --rm hello-world  # Verify container runs

Related Post

If you hit errors after installing, see: Fix Docker Desktop Error: WSL distro terminated abruptly

Installing on macOS instead? See: Installing Docker Desktop on macOS

Source Code

Source and test scripts in repo: github.com/levantri10/kizetech_blog

References