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Docker Desktop WSL 2 backend on Windows

Table of contents

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2 is a full Linux kernel built by Microsoft that lets Linux distributions run without managing virtual machines. With Docker Desktop running on WSL 2, users can leverage Linux workspaces and avoid maintaining both Linux and Windows build scripts. In addition, WSL 2 provides improvements to file system sharing, faster cold-start times, and dynamic resource allocation.

Because WSL 2 uses dynamic memory allocation, Docker Desktop requests only the CPU and memory it actually needs — freeing resources for the rest of your system, while still letting memory-intensive tasks such as multi-stage image builds run at full speed.

Prerequisites

Before you turn on the Docker Desktop WSL 2 feature, ensure you have:

Tip

Consider enabling the WSL autoMemoryReclaim setting, available since WSL 1.3.10 (experimental). This setting allows Windows to reclaim unused memory from the WSL virtual machine, preventing the Linux kernel's page cache from holding onto large amounts of RAM after container image builds complete. The result is better memory availability for other applications on the host.

Turn on Docker Desktop WSL 2

Before installing Docker Desktop, uninstall any version of Docker Engine or the Docker CLI that was installed directly inside a WSL Linux distribution. Running both can cause conflicts.

  1. Download and install the latest version of Docker Desktop for Windows.

  2. Follow the usual installation instructions to install Docker Desktop. Depending on which version of Windows you are using, Docker Desktop may prompt you to turn on WSL 2 during installation. Read the information displayed on the screen and turn on the WSL 2 feature to continue.

  3. Start Docker Desktop from the Windows Start menu.

  4. Navigate to Settings.

  5. From the General tab, select Use WSL 2 based engine.

    If you have installed Docker Desktop on a system that supports WSL 2, this option is turned on by default.

  6. Select Apply.

docker commands are now available from any Windows terminal using the WSL 2 engine.

Tip

By default, Docker Desktop stores the data for the WSL 2 engine at C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Docker\wsl. If you want to change the location, go to Settings -> Resources -> Advanced page from the Docker Dashboard. Read more about this and other Windows settings at Changing settings

Enable Docker in a WSL 2 distribution

WSL 2 lets multiple Linux distributions run side-by-side on a single shared kernel. Docker Desktop doesn't require a particular distribution to be installed, and docker commands work from Windows without one. However, enabling WSL integration for a distribution gives you direct access to docker commands from that distribution's terminal — which is useful for Linux-native development workflows.

  1. Ensure the distribution runs in WSL 2 mode. WSL can run distributions in both v1 or v2 mode.

    To check the WSL mode, run:

    $ wsl.exe -l -v

    To upgrade the Linux distribution to v2, run:

    $ wsl.exe --set-version (distribution name) 2

    To set v2 as the default version for future installations, run:

    $ wsl.exe --set-default-version 2

  2. When Docker Desktop starts, go to Settings > Resources > WSL Integration.

    The Docker-WSL integration is enabled on the default WSL distribution, which is Ubuntu. To change your default WSL distribution, run:

    $ wsl.exe --set-default <distribution name>

    If WSL integrations isn't available under Resources, Docker may be in Windows container mode. In your taskbar, select the Docker menu and then Switch to Linux containers.

  3. Select Apply.

WSL 2 security in Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop's WSL 2 integration works within WSL's existing security model and does not introduce security risks beyond standard WSL behavior.

Docker Desktop runs inside its own docker-desktop WSL distribution, isolated from other distributions in the same way any two WSL distributions are isolated from each other. Interaction between Docker Desktop and other distributions only occurs when you explicitly enable WSL integration for those distributions. This feature allows easy access to the Docker CLI from integrated distributions.

WSL is designed to aid interoperability between Windows and Linux environments. Its file system is accessible from the Windows host \\wsl$, meaning Windows processes can read and modify files within WSL. This behavior is not specific to Docker Desktop, but rather a core aspect of WSL itself.

For environments that require stricter isolation:

  • Run Docker Desktop in Hyper-V mode instead of WSL 2 to avoid the shared-kernel model entirely.
  • Enable Enhanced Container Isolation to add an additional layer of protection around container workloads regardless of backend.

Additional resources