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Docker Desktop

Version tested: 4.29.0 Installer type: .exe official installer from docker.com

📦 Package Managers

Manager Install Command
winget winget install Docker.DockerDesktop
Chocolatey choco install docker-desktop
Scoop scoop install docker

📁 Registry Paths

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Docker Inc.\Docker Desktop
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Docker Desktop
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\com.docker.service (Docker Desktop Service)
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\DockerDesktopBackend (WSL2 backend, if enabled)

🔑 Keys

Installation entry (HKLM\SOFTWARE\Docker Inc.\Docker Desktop)

Key Name Type Description
InstallPath REG_SZ Root installation directory
Version REG_SZ Installed version (e.g., 4.29.0)

Uninstall entry (HKLM\...\Uninstall\Docker Desktop)

Key Name Type Description
DisplayName REG_SZ Docker Desktop
DisplayVersion REG_SZ Installed version (e.g., 4.29.0)
DisplayIcon REG_SZ Path to Docker Desktop.exe
InstallLocation REG_SZ Root installation directory
Publisher REG_SZ Docker Inc.
UninstallString REG_SZ Path to the uninstaller

Docker Desktop Service (HKLM\SYSTEM\...\Services\com.docker.service)

Key Name Type Description
Type REG_DWORD 16 — Win32 service (own process)
Start REG_DWORD 2 — automatic start
ErrorControl REG_DWORD 1 — normal error handling
ImagePath REG_EXPAND_SZ "C:\...\com.docker.service"
DisplayName REG_SZ Docker Desktop Service

📝 Notes

  • Docker Desktop requires either WSL2 (recommended) or Hyper-V as its backend. The backend type affects which service keys are created.
  • All container images, volumes, and configurations are stored in %APPDATA%\Docker\ and the WSL2 VM (docker-desktop distro), not the registry.
  • The com.docker.service Windows service runs as SYSTEM and is required for Docker to function; it manages the VM lifecycle and named pipe communication.
  • Docker Desktop adds itself to the user's startup via HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.
  • ⚠️ Uninstalling Docker Desktop does not remove container images or volumes. Use docker system prune before uninstalling if disk space is a concern.

🗑️ Cleanup

# Installation and uninstall entries
Remove-Item -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Docker Inc."  -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

Get-ChildItem "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall" |
  Where-Object { $_.GetValue("DisplayName") -like "Docker Desktop*" } |
  ForEach-Object { Remove-Item $_.PSPath -Recurse -Force }

# Startup entry
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" -Name "Docker Desktop" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue