Prerequisites Check (Before Installing)
Before installing Docker Desktop, your Windows 11 needs to meet certain requirements.
Check 1: Windows Version
You need:
- Windows 11 (64-bit) ✓ (You have this!)
- Or Windows 10 64-bit: Pro, Enterprise, or Education (Build 19041 or higher)
To check your Windows version:
Step 1: Press Windows Key + R
Step 2: Type: winver
Step 3: Press Enter
You'll see a window showing:
- Version (should be Windows 11)
- Build number
You have Windows 11, so this is ✓
Check 2: System Requirements
Your computer needs:
Minimum Requirements:
├── 64-bit processor ✓
├── 4GB RAM (8GB recommended)
├── BIOS-level hardware virtualization support
└── WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux)
To check if virtualization is enabled:
Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc (Open Task Manager)
Step 2: Click "Performance" tab
Step 3: Click "CPU"
Step 4: Look at bottom right
You should see:
"Virtualization: Enabled" ✓
If it says "Disabled":
└── You need to enable it in BIOS
Is virtualization enabled on your system?
- If YES, continue below
- If NO, You need to enable it in BIOS.
Installing Docker Desktop on Windows 11
Step 1: Download Docker Desktop
Option A: Direct Download (Recommended)
1. Open your web browser
2. Go to: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
3. Click the big blue button: "Download for Windows"
4. File will download: "Docker Desktop Installer.exe"
(Size: ~500MB, takes 2-5 minutes depending on internet)
Option B: From Docker Hub
1. Go to: https://hub.docker.com/
2. Click "Download Docker Desktop"
3. Choose "Windows"
4. Download starts
Step 2: Install Docker Desktop
Once download is complete:
Step 1: Locate the downloaded file
├── Usually in: Downloads folder
└── File name: "Docker Desktop Installer.exe"
Step 2: Double-click the installer
├── Windows might ask: "Do you want to allow this app to make changes?"
└── Click "Yes"
Step 3: Installation wizard opens
You'll see: "Docker Desktop Installer"
Step 4: Configuration options
You'll see two checkboxes:
[✓] Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V (recommended)
└── Keep this CHECKED ✓
[✓] Add shortcut to desktop
└── Optional (your choice)
Step 5: Click "Ok" or "Install"
Step 6: Installation begins
├── Progress bar appears
├── Takes 3-5 minutes
├── Installing components:
│ ├── Docker Engine
│ ├── Docker CLI
│ ├── Docker Compose
│ └── WSL 2 (if not already installed)
Step 7: Installation completes
└── You'll see: "Installation succeeded"
Step 8: Click "Close"
Step 3: First Time Setup
After installation:
Step 1: Docker Desktop will start automatically
├── If not, find Docker Desktop icon on desktop
└── Or search "Docker Desktop" in Start menu
Step 2: First launch screen
You'll see Docker Desktop loading:
"Starting Docker Desktop..."
├── This takes 1-2 minutes first time
└── Docker whale icon in system tray (bottom right)
Step 3: Service Agreement
├── Docker may show terms of service
└── Click "Accept" (if you agree)
Step 4: Welcome screen (might appear)
├── Quick tutorial option
├── You can skip it for now
└── Click "Skip tutorial" or close
Step 5: Check if Docker is running
Look at system tray (bottom right of taskbar):
├── You should see Docker whale icon
├── If green/white = Docker is running ✓
└── If red/gray = Docker is not running ✗
Step 4: Verify Installation
Let's make sure Docker is installed correctly!
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell:
Method 1: Using Search
├── Press Windows Key
├── Type: cmd
├── Click "Command Prompt"
Method 2: Using Run
├── Press Windows Key + R
├── Type: cmd
├── Press Enter
Method 3: PowerShell
├── Press Windows Key + X
├── Click "Windows PowerShell"
Run verification commands:
# Check Docker version
docker --version
Expected output:
Docker version 24.0.x, build xxxxxxx
(Version number might be different - that's okay!)
# Check Docker is running
docker info
Expected output:
Client:
Version: 24.0.x
Context: desktop-linux
...
Server:
Containers: 0
Running: 0
Paused: 0
Stopped: 0
Images: 0
...
# If you see this information, Docker is installed correctly! ✓
If you get an error:
Error: "docker is not recognized..."
Solution:
├── Docker Desktop might not be running
├── Go to Start menu
├── Search "Docker Desktop"
├── Open it
└── Wait 1-2 minutes for it to start
Then try commands again
Understanding Docker Desktop Interface
Once Docker Desktop is running, let's explore it:
Docker Desktop Window has:
Top Menu Bar:
├── Containers (manage running containers)
├── Images (see downloaded images)
├── Volumes (data storage)
├── Dev Environments (advanced)
└── Settings (configuration)
Main Screen:
├── Quick Start Guide
├── Recently used containers
└── Learning resources
System Tray Icon (bottom right):
├── Right-click whale icon
├── Options:
│ ├── Dashboard (opens main window)
│ ├── Settings
│ ├── Restart Docker
│ ├── Quit Docker Desktop
│ └── About Docker Desktop
WSL 2 Setup (Important!)
Docker Desktop on Windows uses WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux).
Check if WSL 2 is installed:
Open PowerShell as Administrator:
Step 1: Press Windows Key
Step 2: Type: PowerShell
Step 3: Right-click "Windows PowerShell"
Step 4: Click "Run as administrator"
Step 5: Click "Yes" when prompted
Check WSL version:
wsl --list --verbose
Expected output:
NAME STATE VERSION
* docker-desktop Running 2
docker-desktop-data Running 2
If you see VERSION 2, you're good! ✓
If WSL 2 is not installed (you get an error):
# Install WSL 2
wsl --install
# This will:
├── Download WSL 2
├── Install Ubuntu (default Linux)
├── Takes 5-10 minutes
└── Restart required
# After restart:
├── Ubuntu will finish setup
├── Create username/password (remember these!)
└── Then Docker Desktop will work
Test Docker Installation
Let's run your FIRST Docker command!
Open Command Prompt or PowerShell (regular, not admin):
docker run hello-world
What happens:
Step-by-step output you'll see:
1. Unable to find image 'hello-world:latest' locally
└── Docker: "I don't have this image on your computer"
2. latest: Pulling from library/hello-world
└── Docker: "I'm downloading it from Docker Hub"
3. xxxxxxxxx: Pull complete
└── Docker: "Download finished"
4. Digest: sha256:xxxxxx
Status: Downloaded newer image for hello-world:latest
└── Docker: "Image is ready"
5. Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.
To generate this message, Docker took the following steps:
1. The Docker client contacted the Docker daemon.
2. The Docker daemon pulled the "hello-world" image from Docker Hub.
3. The Docker daemon created a new container from that image.
4. The Docker daemon streamed that output to the Docker client.
└── Docker: "Everything works! ✓"
If you see "Hello from Docker!" - Congratulations! 🎉 Docker is installed and working perfectly!
Common Installation Issues
Issue 1: "Docker Desktop requires a newer version of Windows"
Solution:
├── Update Windows 11
├── Go to: Settings > Windows Update
├── Click "Check for updates"
└── Install all updates
Issue 2: "Hardware assisted virtualization is not enabled"
Solution:
├── Restart computer
├── Enter BIOS (press F2, F10, Del, or F12 during boot)
├── Find "Virtualization Technology" or "VT-x"
├── Enable it
└── Save and exit BIOS
Issue 3: "WSL 2 installation is incomplete"
Solution:
Open PowerShell as admin:
wsl --update
wsl --set-default-version 2
Restart Docker Desktop
Issue 4: "Docker Desktop is starting..." (forever)
Solution 1:
├── Quit Docker Desktop completely
├── Restart computer
└── Open Docker Desktop again
Solution 2:
├── Uninstall Docker Desktop
├── Restart computer
└── Install again
Docker Desktop Settings (Optional Configuration)
Open Docker Desktop Settings:
Click Docker whale icon in system tray
→ Click "Settings" (gear icon)
Recommended Settings:
General:
[✓] Start Docker Desktop when you log in
└── Auto-start Docker (convenient)
[✓] Use the WSL 2 based engine
└── Better performance
Resources:
├── CPUs: 2 (default is fine for learning)
├── Memory: 2GB (can increase if you have 16GB+ RAM)
└── Disk image size: 60GB (default)
Docker Engine:
└── Leave as default (for now)
Quick Start Guide
Now that Docker is installed, here's what you can do:
✓ Docker is installed
✓ Docker is running
✓ You ran your first container (hello-world)
Next steps (we'll do together):
├── Learn basic Docker commands
├── Pull some images
├── Run containers
└── Explore Docker
Verification Checklist
Make sure everything is working:
□ Docker Desktop installed
□ Docker Desktop is running (green icon in system tray)
□ docker --version works in Command Prompt
□ docker info shows information
□ docker run hello-world completed successfully
□ You saw "Hello from Docker!" message
If all checked ✓ → Installation successful! 🎉
What We Installed
Docker Desktop for Windows includes:
Components:
├── Docker Engine (core)
├── Docker CLI (command-line interface)
├── Docker Compose (multi-container tool)
├── Docker Content Trust (security)
├── Kubernetes (optional, advanced)
└── WSL 2 backend (Linux compatibility)
You can now:
├── Run Linux containers on Windows
├── Use all Docker commands
├── Build and deploy applications
└── Learn Docker!
Excellent! Docker is now installed on your Windows 11 system!
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