In this guide, we will be showing you the methods that will help you fix Docker stuck on starting.
Prerequisites: Check System Requirements
Docker is a development software and requires a high-end system to run. if your system doesn’t meet the required specification to run this software, then it will have issues with the opening. Therefore, check your system specifications before running Docker:
Requirements
Windows 10/11 with a 64-bit operating system.2004 or higher version of Pro.1909 version or higher.4GB or higher RAMHyper V, WSL 2, and Container feature.
1. Run Under the Windows Container
When installing Docker, it doesn’t recognize the Operating System as Windows and instead functions according to the Linus Operating System while finding Linux containers during its startup. Since the Linus containers don’t exist on Windows, Docker will fail to start. Therefore, you must follow the steps given below to run Docker Under the Windows Container:
2. Turn off the Control Flow Guard Feature
Control Flow Guard is used as a protection tool. This feature prevents certain vulnerable programs from running that can cause harm to your system information. However, it will also interfere with the launch of the Docker software as it will detect it as vulnerable software. Therefore, disabling this feature is a must when launching Docker on Windows. Below are the steps that will guide your o disabling your Control Flow Guard Feature:
3. Update the WSL Version
One of the reasons for the occurrence of this issue is an unsupported and outdated WSL version. This prevents the Docker from launching. You can update the WSL manually through your PowerShell. Simply follow the instructions below to manually update the WSL Version:
4. Remove Windows Subsystem Linux
If you already have the Windows Subsystem Linux version 2 installed on your system, then you must remove it from the Windows features since it is known to prevent Docker from opening. Windows Subsystem Linus can be removed from Windows with the instructions below:
5. Enable Hyper-V Platform
Hyper-V platform is a hardware virtualization product that allows you to create and run a virtual machine. If the feature is disabled, you will not be able to start your Docker. Therefore, you must enable the Hyper-V platform before launching Docker. With the steps listed below you can enable the Hyper-V platform on Windows:
6. Restart the Docker Service
You will also face this issue when the Docker Service fails to run properly. Therefore, you must restart the Service to help the software launch without taking too long. Below we have listed the steps to restart the Docker Service:
7. Update your Windows
An updated Windows is one of the prerequisite requirements for installing and running the Docker Software on Windows. If your Windows is outdated, it will have issues launching. Therefore, you must update your Windows if there is an update available before installing and using Docker. Below are the instructions that will help you update your Windows:
8. Reinstall Docker
If none of the methods worked for you, then, as a last resort, you must perform a complete Reinstallation. However, before that, you must remove the temporary files from your system. The steps below will guide you to removing temporary files and reinstalling Docker on Windows:
After the all files are removed, you must uninstall Docker on your system.
Once the system is restarted, Reinstall Docker.
