Download Docker Desktop for Windows

Which Docker Desktop Windows build do I need?

Most laptops and desktops sold today still use x64 processors made by Intel or AMD. If you bought a Windows laptop with a Snapdragon X chip in 2024 or later — including the Surface Pro 11, Surface Laptop 7, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x, HP OmniBook X, or Dell XPS 13 with Snapdragon — you need the ARM64 build instead. The wrong installer will refuse to run.

On Windows 10 and Windows 11, the reliable way to check is to open Settings → System → About and read the System type line. It reports either 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor or 64-bit operating system, ARM-based processor.

You can also run $env:PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE in PowerShell. On x64 it prints AMD64; on ARM64 devices it prints ARM64.

Is Docker Desktop free for Windows?

Yes — Docker Desktop for Windows is free for personal use, education, non-commercial open-source projects, and small businesses with fewer than 250 employees and less than $10 million in annual revenue. Organizations that don’t fit those criteria need a paid Docker subscription (Pro, Team, or Business) under the Docker Subscription Service Agreement before deploying it. The download itself is the same installer either way; the licensing is checked at sign-in.

If you want a fully open-source alternative, see Docker Desktop vs Podman Desktop for a side-by-side comparison.

Before you install: hardware and OS checks

The full system requirements are documented on a dedicated page. The short version:

• Windows 10 64-bit version 21H2+ or Windows 11 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, or Education).
• 4 GB RAM minimum, 8 GB strongly recommended.
• Hardware virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) enabled in BIOS/UEFI.
• WSL 2 enabled — the installer can do this for you on a fresh system.
• ~6 GB free disk space for the app and the base images you’ll pull.

If virtualization isn’t enabled, Docker Desktop will refuse to start with a clear error. The fix is in the troubleshooting guide.

Installing the file you just downloaded

Once Docker Desktop Installer.exe is on disk, double-click it. The setup wizard configures WSL 2 for you, copies ~600 MB of files, and asks you to log out and back in to apply group-membership changes. After signing back in, launch Docker Desktop from the Start menu, accept the Docker Subscription Service Agreement, and wait for the whale icon in the system tray to go steady. That means the engine is up.

The full step-by-step walkthrough — with screenshot placeholders, error handling, and a verification step — is on the Install Docker Desktop on Windows page.

Verifying the download is genuine

Right-click Docker Desktop Installer.exe, choose Properties, and open the Digital Signatures tab. The signer name should match the publisher you trust and the signature should be marked as valid. If either is missing, delete the file and re-download it from a source you trust.

If you see anything unexpected — a different domain, an HTTP redirect, or a “discount” bundle site — close the page and come back here.

What happens after the install completes

On first launch, Docker Desktop downloads the latest WSL 2 kernel (if it isn’t already present), starts a small Linux virtual machine called docker-desktop inside WSL 2, and exposes the engine over the named pipe //./pipe/docker_engine. The first docker run command takes a few extra seconds while the VM warms up; afterwards it’s effectively instant.

From there, the getting-started guide shows you how to run your first real container — typically a one-line Nginx server you can hit at http://localhost:8080 — and how to inspect, log into, and clean up containers from the CLI.

Common Docker Desktop Windows download issues

The download itself is normally uneventful. The first launch is where most people hit a wall. The three issues below cover roughly 80% of the GitHub and Stack Overflow traffic on the Docker Desktop for Windows trackers.

• “WSL 2 installation is incomplete” — the WSL kernel is missing or out of date. The full fix is in WSL 2 troubleshooting.
• “Hardware assisted virtualization … must be enabled” — your CPU supports virtualization but your motherboard has it switched off. See enabling virtualization.
• VirtualBox or VMware breaks after Docker Desktop is installed. Modern versions co-exist via the Windows Hypervisor Platform — here’s how to keep both working.