How to completely uninstall Docker Desktop on Mac
Dragging Docker to the Trash removes the app itself, but its support files, caches and settings stay on your Mac. Here is where they are and how to remove all of them.
Almost all of Docker's space is one virtual disk file inside ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker, which holds every image, container and volume. Docker Desktop also installs privileged helpers in /Library that stay behind if you only drag the app to the Trash.
Quit Docker Desktop. Export or push any images you want to keep and back up data stored in volumes, because removing the virtual disk deletes all of them.
com.docker.dockerRemove Docker by hand
- Quit Docker. If it has a menu bar icon or runs in the background, quit that too.
- Open the Applications folder and drag Docker to the Trash.
- In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder (Shift-Command-G), paste each location below, and move what you find to the Trash. Not every location exists for every version.
- Empty the Trash, then restart your Mac so nothing from Docker is left running.
Where Docker keeps its files
/Applications/Docker.app~/Library/Application Support/Docker Desktop~/Library/Caches/com.docker.docker~/Library/Preferences/com.docker.docker.plist~/Library/Saved Application State/com.docker.docker.savedState~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker~/Library/HTTPStorages/com.docker.docker~/Library/WebKit/com.docker.docker~/Library/Logs/Docker Desktop
Other places Docker uses
~/.dockerTool data~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.dockerContainer~/Library/Containers/com.docker.helperContainer~/Library/Application Scripts/group.com.dockerData~/Library/Caches/Docker DesktopData~/Library/Preferences/com.electron.dockerdesktop.plistData/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.docker.vmnetdPrivileged helper/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.docker.socketPrivileged helper
Items under /Library need your administrator password to remove.
The quick way
Diskzy finds Docker and the files listed here, shows the size of each one, and moves them to the Trash together. Files that another app also uses are left alone.
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