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Virtual Machine Manager

Table of contents

Docker Desktop supports multiple Virtual Machine Managers (VMMs) to power the Linux VM that runs containers. The options available depend on your platform.

Docker VMM

Availability: Beta
Requires: Docker Desktop 4.86 or later

Docker VMM is a container-optimized virtual machine manager. Starting with Docker Desktop 4.86, it uses Docker's own VMM implementation instead of libkrun, which was used in versions 4.35 through 4.85 on Mac. Built specifically for container workloads, Docker VMM:

  • Returns idle memory to the host when containers aren't active, so Docker Desktop doesn't hold RAM it's not using
  • Improves file I/O between container and host, reducing latency in the edit-compile-test loop
  • Reduces engine and container start-up time

Because Docker controls the virtualization layer, it can be monitored and governed in ways that aren't possible with third-party backends. On Windows, Docker VMM provides a stable alternative to WSL 2 with a real VM boundary between the container environment and the host.

Requirements

Switch to Docker VMM

Docker VMM requires at least 4 GB of memory allocated to the Docker Linux VM. If you have less than that allocated, Docker Desktop asks you to confirm and then raises the allocation to 4 GB for you.

  1. Go to Settings > General > Virtual Machine Manager.
  2. Select Docker VMM.
  3. Select Apply & restart.

If you previously had Docker VMM selected, which engine runs depends on your version:

  • Docker Desktop 4.35 through 4.85 is backed by libkrun
  • Docker Desktop 4.86 and later uses Docker's own VMM implementation

If you're upgrading from version 4.35 onwards, your setting is preserved and Docker Desktop switches to the new Docker VMM automatically on restart.

  1. Go to Settings > General > Virtual Machine Manager.
  2. Select Docker VMM.
  3. Select Apply & restart.

With Docker VMM, the Docker CLI works from PowerShell. It also works from within your WSL distributions, with some limitations. For more information, see Use Docker from WSL distributions with Docker VMM.

Docker VMM is available on Linux with Docker Desktop 4.98 and later.

  1. Go to Settings > General > Virtual Machine Manager.
  2. Select Docker VMM.
  3. Select Apply & restart.

If the option is unavailable, turn on Beta features in Settings.

Known issues

  • A restart of Docker Desktop may be required after switching to Docker VMM.
  • On Windows, when a container bind mounts a directory that isn't shared, Docker Desktop asks you to share it. If you decline, you see a not shared from the host error. To share the directory, go to Settings > Resources > File sharing and add it.
  • On Mac and Linux, to use a directory outside the default shared directories in a container, add it under Settings > Resources > File sharing.

Mac only

  • Docker VMM does not currently support Rosetta, so emulation of amd64 architectures is slow. Docker is exploring potential solutions.
  • Certain databases, such as MongoDB and Cassandra, may fail when using virtiofs with Docker VMM. This issue is expected to be resolved in a future release.

Alternative VMM for Linux

QEMU

QEMU is the default VMM on Linux. It runs the Docker Desktop VM using KVM.

Alternative VMMs for Mac

Apple Virtualization framework

The Apple Virtualization framework is a stable and well-established option for managing virtual machines on Mac. It has been a reliable choice for many Mac users over the years.

HyperKit (Legacy) for Intel-based Macs

Note

HyperKit is deprecated. Docker recommends switching to the Apple Virtualization framework.

HyperKit is a legacy virtualization option for Intel-based Macs. Docker recommends switching to modern alternatives for better performance and to future-proof your setup.

Alternative VMMs for Windows

WSL 2

WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux 2) is the default Windows backend for Docker Desktop. It runs a full Linux kernel inside a lightweight VM with tight integration into the Windows host file system and networking. WSL 2 is available in both per-user and all-users installation modes and does not require administrator privileges.

For more information, see Docker Desktop WSL 2 backend.

Hyper-V

Hyper-V is Windows' native hypervisor. It runs the Docker Linux VM in a fully isolated virtual machine, providing a strong boundary between the container environment and the Windows host. Hyper-V is only available in all-users installation mode and requires administrator privileges.