Install Docker Desktop on Ubuntu

Overview

Docker Desktop for Linux provides a complete Docker development environment with a graphical user interface, Kubernetes integration, and advanced features like Docker Scout and Docker Extensions. This guide covers both Docker Engine installation using the convenience script and Docker Desktop setup on Ubuntu.

Prerequisites

Before installing Docker, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

Remove Conflicting Packages

Before installing Docker, remove any unofficial or conflicting packages that might interfere with the installation:

1sudo apt remove docker.io docker-compose docker-compose-v2 docker-doc podman-docker containerd runc 2>/dev/null || true

Install Docker Engine

Update and install required packages

1sudo apt update && \
2sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common

These packages provide essential functionality for secure package management:

• apt-transport-https — Enables APT to download packages over HTTPS
• ca-certificates — Provides root certificates for SSL/TLS verification
• curl — Command-line tool for transferring data with URLs
• software-properties-common — Provides scripts for managing software repositories

Install Using Convenience Script

From official Docker guide

1curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
2
3sudo sh ./get-docker.sh

What the convenience script installs:

• docker-ce — Docker Engine daemon
• docker-ce-cli — Docker command-line interface
• containerd.io — Container runtime
• docker-buildx-plugin — Docker Build with BuildKit features
• docker-compose-plugin — Docker Compose v2

Preview Script Actions (Dry Run)

Before running the installation script, you can preview what it will do:

1sudo sh ./get-docker.sh --dry-run

Verify Docker Installation

After installation, verify Docker is running correctly:

1sudo docker version
2sudo docker run hello-world

Post-Installation: Non-Root User Access

By default, Docker commands require sudo privileges. To run Docker as a non-root user, add your user to the docker group:

1sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
2newgrp docker

Verify non-root access works:

1docker run hello-world

Rootless Mode Installation

Rootless mode runs the Docker daemon and containers without root privileges, providing enhanced security. This is ideal for multi-user environments or when root access is restricted.

1dockerd-rootless-setuptool.sh install
2
3export PATH=/usr/bin:$PATH
4export DOCKER_HOST=unix:///run/user/1000/docker.sock

Understanding Rootless Mode

Make Rootless Mode Persistent

Add these environment variables to your shell profile (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

1echo 'export PATH=/usr/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
2echo 'export DOCKER_HOST=unix:///run/user/$(id -u)/docker.sock' >> ~/.bashrc
3source ~/.bashrc

Enable Rootless Docker as Systemd User Service

1systemctl --user enable docker
2systemctl --user start docker

To ensure the service starts at boot (even without user login):

1sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER

Install Docker Desktop

From Official Docker Desktop Download

Install Prerequisites for Docker Desktop

Before installing Docker Desktop, install the required dependencies:

1sudo apt install -y gnome-terminal pass uidmap dbus-user-session

Install the .deb Package

After downloading the .deb file:

1sudo apt install ./docker-desktop-<version>-amd64.deb

Launch Docker Desktop

1systemctl --user start docker-desktop

Or launch from the applications menu.

Sign in to Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop uses GPG and pass for secure credential storage on Linux.

Generate GPG Key

1gpg --generate-key
2
3### init pub key
4
5pass init #your pub key

Now you can sign in Docker Desktop

GPG Key Generation Details

When running gpg --generate-key, you'll be prompted for:

1. Real name — Your full name for the key identity
2. Email address — Associated email for the key
3. Passphrase — Secure passphrase to protect the private key

After generation, note the public key ID (a 40-character hex string or the last 16 characters). Use this ID to initialize the password store.

Verify Credential Store

1pass ls

This should show an empty password store, ready for Docker Desktop to store your credentials securely.

Managing Docker Service

Check Docker Service Status

1sudo systemctl status docker

Start, Stop, and Restart Docker

1# Start Docker
2sudo systemctl start docker
3
4# Stop Docker
5sudo systemctl stop docker
6
7# Restart Docker
8sudo systemctl restart docker
9
10# Enable Docker to start on boot
11sudo systemctl enable docker

Docker Configuration

Configure Docker Daemon

Docker daemon configuration is stored in /etc/docker/daemon.json. Common configurations include:

1{
2  "storage-driver": "overlay2",
3  "log-driver": "json-file",
4  "log-opts": {
5    "max-size": "10m",
6    "max-file": "3"
7  },
8  "default-address-pools": [{ "base": "172.17.0.0/16", "size": 24 }],
9  "live-restore": true
10}

After modifying the configuration, restart Docker:

1sudo systemctl restart docker

Rootless Mode Configuration

For rootless mode, the configuration file is located at:

• ~/.config/docker/daemon.json

Switching Docker Contexts

When both Docker Engine and Docker Desktop are installed, use contexts to switch between them:

1# List available contexts
2docker context ls
3
4# Switch to Docker Desktop
5docker context use desktop-linux
6
7# Switch to Docker Engine
8docker context use default

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Check Docker Logs

1# Docker Engine logs
2sudo journalctl -u docker.service
3
4# Docker Desktop logs (user service)
5journalctl --user -u docker-desktop

Verify KVM Support (for Docker Desktop)

Docker Desktop requires KVM for virtualization. Verify KVM is available:

1kvm-ok
2# Or
3ls -la /dev/kvm

If KVM is not accessible, add your user to the kvm group:

1sudo usermod -aG kvm $USER

Uninstall Docker

Uninstall Docker Engine

1sudo apt purge docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin docker-ce-rootless-extras
2sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
3sudo rm -rf /var/lib/containerd

Uninstall Docker Desktop

1sudo apt remove docker-desktop
2rm -rf ~/.docker/desktop
3sudo rm /usr/local/bin/com.docker.cli

Quick Reference