Docker Desktop Mac permissions — permission denied fixes

The exact error messages

• docker: permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket at unix:///var/run/docker.sock
• Failed to install com.docker.vmnetd: Authorization required
• Bind for 0.0.0.0:80 failed: port is already allocated
• error mounting "/Users/me/projects" to rootfs at "/app": permission denied

Fix #1 — Fully reinstall via the bundled uninstaller

When the privileged-helper prompt loops or fails, the Application’s install state is partially registered. Don’t drag the app to the Trash — that leaves the helper entries dangling. Use Docker’s own uninstall command:

$ /Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/install --uninstall
$ rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker
$ rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Docker\ Desktop
$ rm -rf ~/.docker

# Re-install from the official .dmg afterwards.

Then reinstall from the official .dmg. Make sure your user is an admin (System Settings → Users & Groups). The privileged-helper setup needs admin privileges and fails silently on standard accounts.

Fix #2 — Repair the docker.sock symlink

On Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, the engine listens on ~/.docker/run/docker.sock. Tools that hard-code /var/run/docker.sock rely on a symlink that Docker Desktop creates on launch. That symlink can drift after major Docker Desktop or macOS upgrades. Repair it manually:

$ ls -l /var/run/docker.sock
lrwxr-xr-x  1 root  daemon  /var/run/docker.sock -> /Users/old-user/.docker/run/docker.sock

$ sudo rm /var/run/docker.sock
$ sudo ln -s ~/.docker/run/docker.sock /var/run/docker.sock

Or set DOCKER_HOST=unix://$HOME/.docker/run/docker.sock in your shell profile and skip the symlink entirely. Tools that use the official Docker SDKs will pick up DOCKER_HOST automatically.

Fix #3 — Grant macOS Sequoia App Management permission

macOS 15 Sequoia introduced App Management protection: any process that modifies installed apps under /Applications or /Library must be explicitly permitted. Docker Desktop’s bind mounts on those paths fail silently otherwise.

Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → App Management and enable Docker Desktop. You may also see a system prompt the first time a bind mount targets a protected path — accept it.

Bind mounts under your home directory (~) are not affected by App Management protection. If most of your development happens under ~/projects or similar, you’ll never hit this in the first place.

Fix #4 — Don’t use sudo with docker

If you’re reaching for sudo docker run … to dodge a permission error, stop. Docker Desktop on Mac talks to the engine over a per-user socket; running the client as root creates a separate context and a brand new set of permission edge cases. The fix is upstream — the user-level socket should work without sudo. If it doesn’t, one of the fixes above is what you actually want.

Frequently asked questions