Docker Desktop Starting Forever? Try These Solutions Here!

Solve the problem of starting infinite loops in Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop aims to simplify application management and construction in the Docker environment. However, you may have problems starting an infinite loop with Docker Desktop. This article will provide several simple and easy solutions.

Docker Desktop packages software into standardized units, containing everything you need to run: libraries, tools, runtimes, and code. However, it may get stuck on the "Start Docker Engine" page. There are many reasons why Docker Desktop starts an infinite loop:

• Corrupted application installation files.
• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) issue.
• The Docker Desktop service is running abnormally.
• The system does not meet the minimum system requirements for the application.

How to fix Docker Desktop startup infinite loops on Windows 10/11

Method 1: Terminate Docker Desktop process

For most computer problems, a simple restart may be helpful. It is strongly recommended that you terminate the Docker Desktop process in WSL and then restart the app. The specific steps are as follows:

Step 1. Right-click the Start menu and select Windows PowerShell .

Step 2. In the command window, enter the following command and press Enter to terminate the Docker Desktop process:

wsl –terminate docker-desktop

If a warning prompt "Docker Desktop – WSL distribution terminates unexpectedly", click Exit to terminate the application.

Step 3. After completion, run the following command to terminate the docker-desktop-data process, which is responsible for managing and executing Docker Desktop configuration and data on WSL:

wsl –terminate docker-desktop-data

Step 4. Restart Docker Desktop to see if the problem of "Stuck Starting Docker Engine" was solved.

Method 2: Restart Docker service

The Docker service is responsible for managing the creation, operation and deletion of containers. To run Docker Desktop, make sure this service is running properly. The method is as follows:

Step 1. Press Win R key to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Enter services.msc and press Enter to start the service .

Step 3. Scroll down to find the Docker Desktop service , right-click it and select Restart .

Method 3: Switch to Windows container

Desktop applications can run Linux Docker containers and Windows containers without relying on the host system. When you try to start a Docker Desktop application, Docker automatically executes Linux containers without having to check the operating system, causing Docker Desktop startup to get stuck. In this case, it is better to switch to a Windows container to avoid this conflict. The method is as follows:

Step 1. Locate the Docker Desktop icon in the system tray in the lower right corner.

Step 2. Right-click it and select Switch to Windows Container .

Step 3. Click to toggle to confirm this operation.

Step 4. Close Docker and restart it to see if it resolves the issue that Docker Desktop cannot start.

Method 4: Log out of Docker Desktop

You can also log out of Docker Desktop to remove the connection between the application and the computer. The method is as follows:

Step 1. Right-click the Start menu and select Windows PowerShell .

Step 2. In the command window, run the following commands in turn and press Enter after each command:

wsl –unregister docker-desktop

wsl –unregister docker-desktop-data

Step 3. When finished, restart your device.

Method 5: Re-enable Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)

To fix the issue where Docker Desktop starts an infinite loop, another way is to disable Windows Subsystem for Linux and re-enable this feature. The method is as follows:

Step 1. Press Win R key to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Enter optionalfeatures and press Enter .

Step 3. Locate Windows Subsystem for Linux > Uncheck > Click OK .

Step 4. After a while, select Windows Subsystem for Linux and click OK to save the changes.

Method 6: Reinstall Docker Desktop

A broken installation may also cause Docker Desktop to start an infinite loop. Therefore, reinstalling the application from scratch may also work. The method is as follows:

Step 1. Right-click the Start menu and select Run .

Step 2. Enter appwiz.cpl and press Enter to open the program and function .

Step 3. In the application list, scroll down to find Docker Desktop > Right-click it > Select Uninstall > Confirm this > Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.

Step 4. After that, visit Docker's official website to download the installer, and then install the application from scratch.

Conclusion

This article provides 6 solutions to the problem of Docker Desktop launching infinite loops. Hope one of these solutions will help you. If you have other issues with this application, such as Docker Desktop being unresponsive or not working, these solutions are also worth a try. Thank you for reading.

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