Docker Install on WSL 2 - First Container Setup

Check Your PC First

Docker Desktop with the WSL 2 backend needs three things, and skipping this two-minute check is how people lose an evening. First, the Windows version: you need Windows 10 version 2004 or later, or Windows 11. Press Win + R, type winver and press Enter to see your exact version.

winver

Second, virtualisation must be switched on in the BIOS or UEFI. Open Task Manager, go to Performance, then CPU, and look for Virtualization: Enabled. If it says Disabled, no software setting will save you — enable Intel VT-x or AMD SVM in the BIOS first. Third, keep about 4 GB of free RAM and a few GB of disk spare: WSL 2 and Docker share your machine, they do not replace it.

Install WSL 2 Before Anything Else

Most failed Docker installs on Windows fail for one boring reason: the order was wrong. Docker Desktop expects a working WSL 2 underneath it, so build the foundation first. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run one command:

wsl --install

Let it finish, then restart the PC — the restart is not optional, it loads the virtualisation components. After the restart, Ubuntu (the default distro) finishes its own setup and asks you to create a Linux username and password.

Verify WSL 2 Is Really Ready

Before Docker goes anywhere near the machine, confirm the foundation with two commands:

wsl --status
wsl -l -v

Your distro should show VERSION 2 in the list. If it shows 1, set the default version and convert the distro as the command output suggests:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Each layer is tested before the next one goes on, so if something fails later you know exactly which layer owns the problem.

Install Docker Desktop on Top

Download Docker Desktop only from docker.com — third-party download sites bundle junk with popular installers. Run the installer and keep the option Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V ticked; on most PCs it is ticked by default.

When the installer asks, let it close and log you out or restart if prompted. Docker adds your Windows account to the local docker-users group, and group membership only takes effect on a fresh sign-in — this is the honest check most guides skip, and it is why Docker sometimes refuses to start until you sign out and back in.

Start Docker Desktop and wait for the whale icon in the system tray to settle and the dashboard to report Engine running. The first start is slow; give it a couple of minutes. Accept the Docker Subscription Service Agreement screen honestly — it is a real licence.

Run Your First Container — Hello World

Open a fresh PowerShell or Terminal window and run the two commands that prove the whole chain works:

docker --version
docker run hello-world

docker --version proves the client is installed and on your PATH. docker run hello-world proves everything else: Docker cannot find the image locally, downloads it from Docker Hub, creates a container from it, runs it, and prints its Hello from Docker! message. If that message appears, your chain works end to end — terminal, client, engine inside WSL 2, network, and registry.