Docker Desktop starting forever in Windows 11

Docker is a platform that allows users to build, share and run modern applications. This tool can package software into standardized units called Containers. These containers have everything required to run libraries, tools, code and runtime. But users have recently complained that Docker Desktop is starting forever in Windows 11. Fortunately, you can follow these simple suggestions to fix it.

Docker Desktop starting forever in Windows 11

If Docker Desktop is starting forever in Windows 11, check if any updates are available for the app and install them. Also, restart your device and see. If that doesn’t help, follow these suggestions:

1. Check System Requirements
2. Restart Docker Service
3. Run Docker as an Admin
4. Switch to Windows Containers
5. Unregister Docker Desktop
6. Update WSL kernel version
7. Re-enable WSL Feature
8. Reinstall Docker

Now let’s see these in detail.

1] Check System Requirements

Before starting with different troubleshooting methods, check if your device meets the minimum specifications to run Docker. The minimum requirements to run docker are:

Using WSL 2 backend

• Windows 11 64-bit: Home or Pro version 21H2 or higher, or Enterprise or Education version 21H2 or higher.
• Windows 10 64-bit: Home or Pro 21H1 (build 19043) or higher, or Enterprise or Education 20H2 (build 19042) or higher.
• Enable the WSL 2 feature on Windows.
• The following hardware prerequisites are required to successfully run WSL 2 on Windows 10 or Windows 11:
  • 64-bit processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
  • 4GB system RAM
  • BIOS-level hardware virtualization support must be enabled in the BIOS settings. For more information, see Virtualization.
• Download and install the Linux kernel update package.

2] Restart Docker Service

Docker service runs on a Docker host and manages container creation, running, and deletion. It also offers APIs that other software can use to manage Docker containers programmatically. Restarting the service can help fix Docker startup errors. Here’s how:

1. Press the Windows key, type Services and click on open.
2. Search for the Docker Service.
3. Right-click on the service and select Restart.

3] Run Docker as an Admin

Running the app as an administrator ensures it doesn’t crash due to a lack of permissions. To do so, right-click on your device’s Docker Desktop.exe shortcut file and click on Run this program as an administrator.

4] Switch to Windows Containers

It’s possible that Docker doesn’t check the operating system during installation. If that’s the case, it’ll automatically look for Linux containers. Switch to Windows containers and see if the Docker engine starting error message gets fixed. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Expand the System tray icon from the bottom-right corner of the Taskbar.
2. Right-click on the Docker desktop icon.
3. Click on Switch to Windows containers.
4. A confirmation dialog will appear asking if you want to continue, click on Switch.
5. Close Docker and then relaunch it.

5] Unregister Docker Desktop

The next method requires you to unregister Docker Desktop. Unregistering the application will remove the connection between the app and your PC. Here’s how:

1. Open Windows PowerShell as an admin.
2. Type the following commands one-by-one and hit Enter.

   wsl --unregister docker-desktop
   wsl --unregister docker-desktop-data

3. Restart your device once done.

6] Update WSL kernel version

The Docker app may take forever to start if you’re using it through WSL 2 backend and it’s not updated to its latest version. Download and install the latest WSL Kernel version to see if the error is fixed.

7] Re-enable WSL Feature

Windows Subsystem for Linux or WSL allows running Linux environment directly on Windows devices. Re-enabling this feature will disable and re-enable and fix Docker startup issues. Here’s how:

1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type optionalfeatures and hit Enter.
3. The Windows Features dialog will now open; here, uncheck the Windows Subsystem for Linux option.
4. Click on Ok to save the changes and close the Windows Features dialog.
5. Follow the above steps again and enable the Windows Subsystem for Linux option.

Read: Can’t Connect to Hyper-V Virtual Machine

8] Reinstall Docker

If none of these methods can help you, reinstall the Docker app. This has been known to help most users fix this error.

We hope this post helps you.

How long does Docker take to start?

Usually, the Docker app starts within ten seconds. However, this timeline can increase depending on several factors like your device’s performance and your running application.