To uninstall Docker Desktop on a Mac completely, use Docker Desktop's own Uninstall first. Open Docker Desktop, open Troubleshoot, choose Uninstall and confirm, then move Docker from Applications to the Trash. Docker's documentation says this removes your containers, images, volumes and other Docker data, along with the files the app generated.
It doesn't remove everything. Docker itself names two leftovers: the .docker folder in your home folder and Docker's group container in your Library. Depending on your version and settings, background helpers, command-line links and a startup task for the Docker socket can stay too.
Before you click Uninstall, save what you need. It destroys every volume, and a volume may hold the only copy of a local database. Images you built and never pushed go with it as well.
If you're moving to OrbStack or another engine rather than leaving containers behind, migrate first, while Docker Desktop's data still exists. If you only want space back, read about Docker Desktop's disk space on a Mac instead; that's often enough.
What Docker Desktop's Uninstall removes, and what it leaves
Docker Desktop is more than an app. It runs a Linux virtual machine whose disk is one large file, keeps its settings and command-line tools in your home folder, and on some setups installs helpers that run as an administrator.
What does Uninstall remove?
Docker's documentation is blunt about it: uninstalling destroys Docker containers, images, volumes and other Docker-related data on the Mac, and removes the files the application generated. That includes the virtual machine's disk, Docker.raw, where nearly all of Docker's space is.
What it doesn't remove is the app itself. Docker's steps end with moving the Docker application to the Trash yourself.
What does Docker say is left behind?
After uninstalling, Docker's documentation says some residual files may remain. It names two:
- the .docker folder in your home folder, with Docker's command-line settings and more
~/, a folder Docker's processes shareLibrary/ Group Containers/ group.com.docker
It also notes that the command-line route can fail to remove ~/ because macOS protects app containers. Docker says that error can be ignored and the folder removed later.
Why not just drag Docker to the Trash?
Because that removes only the app. Docker.raw stays in your Library, with every image, container and volume in it, and so do the helpers and settings. That's often tens of gigabytes left behind with nothing to use them.
Docker's Uninstall does the cleanup Docker designed, in the order Docker expects. Use it whenever Docker Desktop still opens.
| Item | Removed by Uninstall | Left for you |
|---|---|---|
| Containers, images, volumes, build cache | Yes, with Docker.raw | |
| Files the app generated | Yes, according to Docker | |
| Docker.app | Move it to the Trash | |
| The .docker folder in your home folder | Named by Docker as a leftover | |
~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.docker | Named by Docker as a leftover | |
~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker | Usually | If macOS blocked its removal |
| Docker logins in your keychain | Remove in Keychain Access if you like |
How much space will you get back?
Almost all of it is Docker.raw. Its real size is what Docker has written to it, which grows as you pull and build images and create containers and volumes. Here's one Mac, measured while writing this post.
- Docker.raw, space used on disk32 GB · Usually safe
- Docker.app1.9 GB
- Docker.raw, typical range10–100 GB · Usually safe
The first two were measured in October 2026 on one developer's Mac running Docker Desktop 4.46. The typical range is from developers' reports collected for the app's catalog.
On that Mac, Docker.raw's apparent size was 460 GB, because it's a sparse file: its size is the most it can hold, not what's written. Don't plan around that number. The 32 GB actually used is what an uninstall gives back.
Docker's other files on that Mac, the ones we could measure, came to under 0.1 GB. They're worth removing for tidiness and for what they keep running, not for space.
Before you uninstall Docker Desktop: save what you need
Nothing inside Docker survives Uninstall. Go through these while Docker Desktop is still running.
Volumes: the data that matters most
A volume is storage Docker manages for containers. Databases, uploaded files and anything a container should keep usually live in volumes, and Docker's documentation says deleting a volume deletes all its data.
To keep one, export it from Docker Desktop:
- Sign in to Docker Desktop. Docker requires it for exporting volumes.
- Click Volumes in the sidebar, and select the volume.
- Click the Exports tab, then Quick export.
- Choose Local or Hub storage, then Local file, enter a file name, pick a folder outside Docker, and click Save.
Docker temporarily stops containers that use the volume while it exports, then starts them again. A later install can bring the file back with Import in the same view.
How do you know which volumes matter?
The Volumes view lists each volume's name, whether a container uses it, when it was created and its size. Volumes with names you or a Compose file chose are usually the ones with real data. Anonymous volumes, named with long random IDs, are often leftovers from old containers.
Select a volume and open its Stored data tab to see the files inside. To keep just a few of them, Control-click a file or folder there and choose Save as… to copy it to your Mac. That suits a config file or an upload folder, while a database is safer exported whole.
Images you built yourself
Images pulled from Docker Hub or another registry download again whenever you need them. Images you built locally and never pushed exist only in Docker.raw.
To keep one, push it: in Images, select it, click More options and choose Push to Hub. Docker notes that the image's tag must include your Docker ID or organization. Docker's backup guide describes saving an image to a file as a command-line step.
If the Dockerfile that built an image is still in your project, you may not need the image at all. Building it again later costs time, not data.
Containers you changed by hand
A container you set up by hand and never described in a Compose file is harder to recreate. Docker's backup guide suggests committing it to an image, which is a command-line step, and warns that a commit doesn't include the container's volumes.
In practice, note the image, ports, environment variables and volumes each container uses. A Compose file that records them is the most reliable backup of a container's setup.
Bind mounts and your project folders
A bind mount is a folder on your Mac that a container uses directly, such as a project folder. It's an ordinary folder, outside Docker.raw, and uninstalling Docker doesn't touch it. Your source code and Dockerfiles are safe.
Models from Docker Model Runner
Docker Model Runner keeps the AI models you pull in ~/, outside Docker.raw. The catalog rates Docker Model Runner models as Review first: models from Docker Hub or Hugging Face download again, but models you packaged yourself exist only there unless you pushed them.
Since the .docker folder is one of the leftovers Docker names, these models survive Uninstall. That's useful if you want them, and easy to miss if you don't.
| What | Where it lives | Survives Uninstall? | How to keep it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volumes | Inside Docker.raw | No | Volumes view, Quick export, Local file |
| Images you built | Inside Docker.raw | No | Push to Hub, or keep the Dockerfile |
| Pulled images | Inside Docker.raw | No | Nothing to do; they download again |
| Container setup | Inside Docker.raw | No | A Compose file |
| Bind-mounted folders | Your own folders | Yes | Nothing to do |
| Model Runner models | ~/.docker/models | Yes | Nothing to do, unless you remove the folder |
Switching to OrbStack or another engine?
OrbStack's documentation says it offers to migrate Docker Desktop's data after installation, including containers, volumes and images, and that it makes a copy. Do that before you uninstall Docker Desktop, because afterwards there's nothing left to copy.
For Colima, Podman or Rancher Desktop, export volumes as above, then pull or rebuild images in the new tool. The posts on OrbStack's disk usage and Colima, Podman and Lima cover where those keep their data.
How to uninstall Docker Desktop on a Mac, step by step
These steps follow Docker's documentation. They work the same on macOS 27 Golden Gate and macOS 26 Tahoe, which Docker supports along with the previous major release.
Stop what's running
Stop your containers in Docker Desktop's Containers view. If you turned on Docker Desktop's Kubernetes, stop it in the Kubernetes view; Docker says that removes its containers and the kubectl link it created.
If you're signed in, you can sign out from your account in Docker Desktop. A Docker subscription belongs to your Docker account, not to the app, so uninstalling doesn't cancel one.
Run Uninstall from Troubleshoot
- Open Docker Desktop.
- Click the Troubleshoot icon at the top right of the Dashboard, or choose Troubleshoot from the Docker menu in the menu bar.
- Click Uninstall.
- When asked, click Uninstall again to confirm. Enter your password if macOS asks for it.
Wait for it to finish before you move the app. With a large disk image, that can take a little while.
Move Docker to the Trash
- In Finder, click Applications in the sidebar.
- Drag Docker to the Trash, or select it and choose File › Move to Trash.
- Enter an administrator's name and password if macOS asks.
If Docker won't move to the Trash, the post on apps that won't delete goes through the usual reasons, such as a helper that's still running.
Leave the Trash full for now. If you find something you still needed, File › Put Back returns the app, though not the data Uninstall removed.
What if Docker Desktop won't open?
Docker documents a second route, an uninstall program inside the app that runs in Terminal. It has no window or button of its own.
Without it, the Finder route still works. Quit Docker from its menu bar icon if it's there, move the app to the Trash, then remove the leftovers in the next two sections, including ~/, which holds Docker.raw. Restart once you're done.
What if you installed it with Homebrew?
Homebrew's cask for Docker Desktop has its own uninstall steps: they stop three background jobs, remove the two privileged helpers and the links Homebrew created. It also has a zap section listing leftovers in your Library. Both are command-line steps; there's no app for them.
If you installed with Homebrew, Docker's Uninstall in Troubleshoot still works for the data. Homebrew's record of the cask stays until Homebrew removes it, which only matters if you use Homebrew to reinstall later.
Leftovers to check after uninstalling
Docker names two leftovers. Homebrew's cask data, which records where Docker Desktop leaves files, lists more. Check each place and move what's still there to the Trash.
The .docker folder in your home folder
It's hidden, because its name starts with a period. In your home folder, press Command-Shift-Period to show hidden files, or choose Go › Go to Folder and enter ~/.
It holds Docker's command-line configuration, contexts, plugins, a bin folder of command-line tools in recent versions, and the Model Runner models. Docker's Linux documentation notes that leftover credential and context settings in its config.json can conflict with a future Docker setup, and the Mac's copy holds the same settings.
Move the folder to the Trash once you've saved any models you want. If you've moved to another engine that already uses the folder, leave it, and let that tool manage it.
The group container
~/ holds data Docker Desktop's processes share. Docker names it as a leftover, and nothing uses it once Docker is gone. To open your Library folder, hold down Option in Finder and choose Go › Library.
The app container and Docker.raw
~/ holds Docker.raw, Docker Desktop's logs and the files it needs to run. Uninstall usually removes it. If it's still there, it may still hold the full disk image, so check its size with File › Get Info.
If macOS stopped Docker from removing it, Docker's documentation says it can be removed later by an app that has Full Disk Access. Move it to the Trash once you're sure Docker is gone for good.
If you changed Disk image location in Docker Desktop's Settings › Resources › Advanced, look in that folder too. Docker doesn't document whether Uninstall removes a disk image stored somewhere else.
Docker tools you installed separately
If you installed Docker's command-line tools with Homebrew, such as the docker or docker-compose formulas, they're separate from Docker Desktop and stay. So do Colima, Lima and any other engine you tried. Remove them with the tool that installed them, or keep them if you're moving to one.
Settings, caches, logs and saved state
The rest is small. In your Library folder, look for these names, and move whatever's still there to the Trash:
Folder in ~/Library | Docker's item |
|---|---|
Application Support | Docker Desktop |
Caches | Docker Desktop and com.docker.docker |
Logs | Docker Desktop |
Preferences | com.docker.docker.plist and com.electron.dockerdesktop.plist |
Saved Application State | Folders starting with com.electron.docker |
HTTPStorages | com.docker.docker |
Application Scripts | com.docker.helper and group.com.docker |
Leave anything named after macOS or another app. A folder with Docker in its name that another app created isn't Docker Desktop's, and uninstallers that match files by name can mistake it for one. The post on leftover files after uninstalling apps goes through these folders one by one.
Background helpers, links and login items
These leftovers are tiny, but they're the ones that keep trying to run. Two of them are why some Macs showed a malware warning about Docker in 2025.
Login Items & Extensions
Docker Desktop has a setting to start when you sign in. Open Apple menu › System Settings, click General, then Login Items & Extensions.
Under Open at Login, remove Docker if it's there. Apple's guide says an item with a yellow triangle won't open because it was moved or deleted, which is what a removed app looks like. Under App Background Activity, turn off anything from Docker. The lists are the same on macOS 26 Tahoe.
The privileged helpers: com.docker.vmnetd and com.docker.socket
Older versions of Docker Desktop installed a helper that runs as an administrator, com.docker.vmnetd, started by a launch daemon. Docker's documentation says that from version 4.89, privileged access is granted only when you choose certain options in its Advanced settings. Many Macs that ran older versions still have these files.
They live in two folders at the top of the disk:
- Choose Go › Go to Folder, enter
/, and look for com.docker.vmnetd.plist and com.docker.socket.plist.Library/ LaunchDaemons - Do the same in
/, for com.docker.vmnetd and com.docker.socket.Library/ PrivilegedHelperTools - Move those files to the Trash, entering an administrator's password.
- Restart, so the jobs stop for good.
In January 2025, some Macs showed malware warnings about these two helpers, because they hadn't been updated when Docker's signing certificates changed. Docker's fix included removing both files, and its notes add that the warning can persist while Docker sits in the Trash.
Command-line links in /usr/local/bin
Older versions, and the System option in Docker's Advanced settings, put links to Docker's command-line tools in /: docker, docker-compose, the docker-credential tools, and kubectl. Since version 4.89, Docker's default is the bin folder inside .docker instead.
With the app gone, those links point nowhere. Choose Go › Go to Folder and enter /. Select a link and choose File › Get Info, which shows the original it points to. Move only links whose original is inside Docker.app to the Trash.
On an Intel Mac, Homebrew also keeps its tools in /. A docker or kubectl link that points into Homebrew's Cellar folder is Homebrew's, not Docker Desktop's, so leave it.
The Docker socket
If you allowed the default Docker socket in Advanced settings, Docker set up a startup task that recreates a link at / after every restart, according to its permission documentation. On the Mac we checked, that task was the com.docker.socket launch daemon above, which runs at startup. Removing it stops the link from coming back.
Docker logins in your keychain
When you sign in to Docker Hub or another registry, Docker's credential helper stores the login in your keychain, labelled Docker Credentials. Uninstalling doesn't remove those entries.
They're harmless, but if you're leaving Docker for good, open Keychain Access with Spotlight, search for Docker Credentials, and delete the entries. Deleting a keychain item can't be undone, so only remove the ones labelled that way.
| Leftover | Where | How to remove it |
|---|---|---|
| Login item | Login Items & Extensions | Remove it, turn off background activity |
| Privileged helpers | /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools | Trash with an administrator password, restart |
| Launch daemons | /Library/LaunchDaemons | Trash with an administrator password, restart |
| Command-line links | /usr/local/bin | Trash only links into Docker.app |
| Registry logins | Your keychain | Delete Docker Credentials in Keychain Access |
Uninstall or reset: the other Troubleshoot buttons
The Troubleshoot menu has two more buttons that can stand in for an uninstall. If you plan to keep using Docker Desktop, one of them may be all you need.
Clean up data
Docker describes Clean up data as a disk image reset that destroys all Docker containers and images on the Mac while keeping your settings. Volumes live on the same disk, so plan as if they go too. It gives back nearly all of Docker's space without removing the app.
Reset to factory defaults
Reset to factory defaults returns every Docker Desktop option to how it was when the app was first installed. It's a fix for a broken installation, not a removal.
Which one do you need?
| Your goal | Use |
|---|---|
| Get space back, keep Docker | Delete what you don't need in the Dashboard |
| Start over with an empty Docker | Clean up data |
| Fix Docker Desktop that misbehaves | Reset to factory defaults |
| Remove Docker Desktop for good | Uninstall, then the leftovers above |
| Move to another engine | Migrate or export, then Uninstall |
To reinstall, for example to fix a problem or change versions, Docker's backup guide says to save the volumes and images you need first, then uninstall, install again and bring them back.
A worked example: moving from Docker Desktop to OrbStack
Here's the whole process on the Mac measured above, which ran Docker Desktop 4.46 with about 32 GB in Docker.raw. Say its owner wants to switch to OrbStack and remove Docker Desktop completely.
Before uninstalling
They install OrbStack and accept its offer to migrate Docker Desktop's data, which copies containers, volumes and images. For a second copy of the one volume that matters, a local Postgres database, they export it from Docker Desktop's Volumes view to a file in their Documents folder.
Their own images are built from Dockerfiles in their projects, so there's nothing to push. They check ~/: it's empty, so there are no models to keep.
Uninstalling
They stop their containers, open Troubleshoot, click Uninstall and confirm. When it finishes, they drag Docker from Applications to the Trash.
Leftovers
Their Mac ran a version from before 4.89, so the helpers are there: com.docker.vmnetd and com.docker.socket in both / and /. They move all four to the Trash with an administrator's password.
In /, six links point into Docker.app: docker, docker-compose, two credential tools, kubectl and kubectl.docker. Those go too. They leave the .docker folder, because OrbStack uses it now, but the group container, Application Support, Caches and Preferences items go.
The result
After a restart, nothing from Docker appears in Activity Monitor or Login Items & Extensions. About 34 GB is freed once the Trash is emptied, almost all of it Docker.raw and the app.
The net gain is smaller, because OrbStack's own disk now holds the migrated copy. What's gone for good is the duplicate, the helpers and the links.
What if the Mac has more than one account?
Docker Desktop keeps its disk image and settings in each account's own Library and home folder. Log in to each account that ran Docker and check the leftovers there too. The helpers, launch daemons and links at the top of the disk are shared, so they're handled once.
After uninstalling Docker Desktop
Check that nothing from Docker is still running
After the restart, open Login Items & Extensions again and check nothing from Docker is listed. Then open Activity Monitor and search for docker. With the app, its helpers and its launch daemons gone, nothing should appear.
If something does, the launch daemons or helpers above are still in place. Check both folders again.
Is it worth chasing every leftover?
Not for space. Docker.raw is nearly all of it, and Uninstall takes care of that. The rest is worth removing for what it does, not for what it takes.
| Leftover | Space it takes | What happens if you leave it |
|---|---|---|
| Docker.raw, if Uninstall missed it | Usually tens of GB | The space stays used |
| Privileged helpers and launch daemons | Tiny | They try to start at every restart |
Links in /usr/local/bin | None | Commands fail, or another tool's are hidden |
| The .docker folder | Small, plus any models | Old settings meet a future Docker setup |
| Settings, caches and logs | A few MB | Nothing; they just sit there |
| Keychain logins | None | Nothing, until you reinstall |
So the order of importance is Docker.raw, then anything that runs, then the rest. If you're short of time, stop after the helpers.
Empty the Trash and check the space
Use your Mac for a day, then choose Finder › Empty Trash. Check System Settings › General › Storage; the numbers can take a few minutes to update after a large deletion.
If less space came back than you expected, Docker.raw may have been moved to another folder in Docker's settings, or the app container may still be in your Library. Both are covered above.
Reinstalling later
A new install starts empty. Download Docker Desktop from Docker's website and drag it to Applications, as Docker's install guide describes. Import exported volumes in the Volumes view, pull images again, and recreate containers from your Compose files.
If you kept the .docker folder, its settings and models are still there for the new install. If you removed it, Docker creates a new one.
Mistakes to avoid
- Dragging the app to the Trash and stopping there. Docker.raw and its tens of gigabytes stay behind.
- Clicking Uninstall before exporting volumes. Nothing brings a deleted volume back.
- Deleting Docker.raw while you still use Docker. It removes every image, container and volume at once. Use the Dashboard or Clean up data instead.
- Clearing all of /usr/local/bin. Other tools keep links there too, Homebrew among them on Intel Macs.
- Moving whole Library folders. Remove Docker's items inside Containers, Group Containers and the rest, never the folders themselves.
- Pasting removal scripts from a web page. Commands that delete files don't use the Trash and can't be undone.
How the app does it
Wombit explains Docker's files like everything else on the disk. It measures Docker.raw by the space it takes on disk, not the size it claims, and shows both. File names and paths never leave your Mac.
Select Docker.raw in the map or the list, and the inspector says what it is and why deleting it is the move to avoid while you use Docker.
Cleanup lists Docker.raw as Usually safe, so it never starts checked, and the app never moves it to the Trash. When you check it, the app runs Docker's own cleanup for the build cache after the review sheet, with Docker Desktop running. What the command removes can't be put back, and the sheet says so.
What the app runs, after you review itPRO
- docker --context desktop-linux builder prune --force
- Docker's build cache
Docker Model Runner's models are Review first, explained with the steps to remove them in Docker Desktop's Models view.
~/
Library/ Containers/ com.docker.docker/ Data/ vms/ 0/ data/ Docker.raw Docker Desktop disk image (Docker.raw)
The virtual disk where Docker Desktop keeps all your images, containers, volumes and build cache.
Usually safe · Runs docker --context desktop-linux builder prune --force
~/
.docker/ models AI models pulled or packaged with Docker Model Runner, kept on your Mac outside Docker's disk image.
Review first · Explained only: the app shows you how
The Applications section lists every app with its size, what it has left around the Mac and when you last opened it, with Uninstall…. For each leftover, it shows why the file belongs to the app, such as its identifier, its app group or a background job that starts it. Folders that may hold your data start unchecked.
The uninstall review asks the app to quit, stops its background jobs and moves everything to the Trash, where Undo and Put Back work. With the menu bar item on, the app also notices when you drag an app to the Trash yourself and offers to review what it left.
Seeing all of this is free. Cleanup and the uninstaller are PRO, one $4.99 payment with lifetime access. Every Pro tool's review is free to open, so you see what would go and why before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Does uninstalling Docker Desktop delete my images and volumes?
Yes. Docker's documentation says uninstalling destroys containers, images, volumes and other Docker data on the Mac. Export the volumes you need from the Volumes view, and push images you built yourself, before you click Uninstall.
Is dragging Docker to the Trash enough to uninstall it?
No. That removes only the app. Docker.raw, which holds every image, container and volume, stays in your Library, along with Docker's settings and any helpers it installed. Use Uninstall in Docker Desktop's Troubleshoot menu first, then move the app to the Trash.
Why does com.docker.vmnetd still run after I removed Docker?
It's a helper that older versions installed to run as an administrator, started by a launch daemon. Removing the app doesn't remove it. Move com.docker.vmnetd and com.docker.socket out of /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools and their property lists out of /Library/LaunchDaemons, then restart.
How do I uninstall Docker Desktop if it won't start?
Docker documents an uninstall program inside the app that runs in Terminal. Without it, quit Docker, move the app to the Trash, then remove its container, group container, .docker folder, helpers and launch daemons by hand, and restart.
Can I uninstall Docker Desktop and keep using the docker command?
Yes, with another engine. OrbStack installs its own docker command, and Colima works with Homebrew's docker command-line tool. Docker Desktop's own tools live inside the app, so its links stop working once it's gone. Migrate or export your data before uninstalling.
Will uninstalling Docker Desktop cancel my Docker subscription?
No. A subscription belongs to your Docker account, not to the app on your Mac. Manage or cancel it in your Docker account; removing the app doesn't change it.
What's the difference between Clean up data and Uninstall in Docker Desktop?
Clean up data resets the disk image, removing all containers and images while keeping Docker Desktop and its settings. Uninstall removes Docker's data and the app's files so you can delete the app. Plan for volumes to go in both cases.