Verify Docker from Windows

Verify Docker from Windows PowerShell

Open a new PowerShell window (does not need to be elevated) and run:

docker --version
# Expected: Docker version XX.X.X, build XXXXXXX

docker ps
# Expected: empty table with column headers, no error

docker run --rm hello-world
# Expected: "Hello from Docker!" and "This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly."

If docker run --rm hello-world prints the success message, Docker Desktop is installed and running on Windows.

Common First-Run Mistakes

Mistake	What happens	Fix
Closing Docker Desktop before the engine starts	docker ps fails with “cannot connect to daemon”	Start Docker Desktop from the Start menu; wait 30–60 seconds
Using an old PowerShell window opened before install	docker: command not found	Close the terminal and open a new PowerShell window
Hyper-V backend selected instead of WSL 2	Poor WSL performance; WSL integration issues	Settings → General → enable Use the WSL 2 based engine → Apply & restart
Skipping Windows restart when installer requested it	Docker fails to start or WSL option missing	Restart Windows, then launch Docker Desktop again

Docker Desktop will run containers using the WSL2 backend, which provides better performance and resource usage than the legacy Hyper-V backend.