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How to uninstall Docker Desktop on Mac completely

Docker Desktop keeps your images, containers and volumes in one large disk image, and it installs a background helper and command-line tools outside the app. Here is how to remove all of it — and what to save first, because Docker’s own uninstaller deletes your local Docker data.

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes
  1. Open MacWashing and choose Uninstaller in the sidebar.
  2. Click Show Apps and check Docker in the list.
  3. Click Remove and confirm. Files that may be yours are listed as Possible and stay unchecked.
Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Back up what you need first

Docker’s Uninstall option deletes containers, images, volumes and other local Docker data. Before you start, push the images you built to a registry and copy out any volume data you want to keep. Projects and Dockerfiles in your own folders are not touched.

Uninstall Docker Desktop from its own menu

Docker Desktop has a built-in uninstaller. It removes Docker’s data and the files the app generated.

  1. Open Docker Desktop.
  2. In the top-right corner of the Dashboard, click the Troubleshoot icon.
  3. Click Uninstall, then click Uninstall again to confirm.
  4. Open Finder › Applications and drag Docker to the Trash.

You can do the same from Terminal: run /Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/uninstall, then move the app to the Trash.

Or delete Docker Desktop in Finder

  1. Quit Docker Desktop: click the whale icon in the menu bar and choose Quit Docker Desktop.
  2. Open Finder › Applications and drag Docker to the Trash.
  3. Enter your administrator password if macOS asks for it.

This way the disk image with your images and volumes stays on the Mac until you delete it yourself.

What Docker Desktop leaves behind

After either way, check these places. The first ones are in the Library folder inside your home folder:

  • ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker — Docker Desktop’s main folder, including the disk image of its virtual machine. It is often the largest leftover.
  • ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.docker — settings shared by Docker’s components. Docker’s documentation says to remove it by hand.
  • ~/Library/Application Support/Docker Desktop — the app’s data.
  • ~/Library/Caches/com.docker.docker — the cache.
  • ~/Library/Preferences/com.docker.docker.plist — settings.
  • /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.docker.vmnetd.plist, /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.docker.vmnetd and /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.docker.socket — the background helpers that run with administrator rights.
  • /usr/local/bin/docker, /usr/local/bin/kubectl.docker and the docker-credential-* files next to them — the command-line tools Docker Desktop linked there.

Your images, containers and volumes are in ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/vms/0/data, and ~/.docker holds your Docker command-line settings and contexts. They are your data, not leftovers: back up what you need before deleting them, or keep them.

Remove the leftovers by hand

  1. In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), type a path from the list above and press Return.
  2. Move the folder or file to the Trash. Files in /Library and /usr/local/bin need your administrator password.
  3. Repeat for the other paths.
  4. Restart your Mac, so the background helper is no longer running, then empty the Trash.

Docker Desktop isn’t the only app that leaves files behind: see how to uninstall apps on Mac completely.

With MacWashing, it’s one click

Uninstaller: a list of apps sorted by size with when each was last opened, Google Chrome selected with its app and cache sizes

The Uninstaller in MacWashing knows the files Docker Desktop creates — in your Library folder and in the system folders — and removes them together with the app, background helpers included. Folders that may hold your own data, like the disk image with your images and volumes, are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself.

Download MacWashingHow it works

Free trial · macOS 14 or later

Questions and answers

Will MacWashing delete my own files when it removes Docker Desktop?

No. The Uninstaller checks only what belongs to the app: its settings, caches, logs and background items. Folders that may hold your own files are listed as Possible and stay unchecked until you check them yourself, and apps go to the Trash by default, so you can put them back.

What if Docker Desktop is still running?

MacWashing waits for it to quit, or quits it at your request, and only then removes its files.

Is it free to uninstall Docker Desktop with MacWashing?

Yes, within the free trial: System Junk and the Uninstaller free up to 25 GB in total, with no account or card needed.

Does uninstalling Docker Desktop delete my images and containers?

Docker’s own Uninstall option does: it deletes containers, images, volumes and other local Docker data. If you only drag the app to the Trash, they stay in the disk image in your Library folder until you delete it.

Why does the uninstaller say «operation not permitted»?

macOS protects the app’s folder in Library › Containers. Docker says you can ignore the error: Docker Desktop is still uninstalled. To delete that folder later from Terminal, give Terminal Full Disk Access in System Settings › Privacy & Security.

Can I reinstall Docker Desktop later?

Yes. Download it again from docker.com and sign in. Images you deleted have to be pulled or built again. Images you pushed to a registry are still there.