How to uninstall Docker Desktop on a Mac, and the 4.5 GB the app leaves behind
Docker's own uninstaller, what it misses, and why most guides tell you to delete a folder that does not exist on a Mac. Measured on Docker 4.47.
How do I completely uninstall Docker on a Mac?
Use Docker's own uninstaller first, then move the app and two leftover folders to the Trash. The uninstaller removes your containers, images and volumes, the background helpers and the command links. Dragging the app alone does none of that.
- Save anything you need. Uninstalling deletes every container, image and volume on this Mac. Push images you built to a registry, or export volumes, first.
- Run the uninstaller. Open Docker Desktop, click the Troubleshoot icon at the top right of the dashboard, then Uninstall, and confirm. From Terminal the same thing is
/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/uninstall. - Move Docker to the Trash from Applications.
- Move the two leftovers to the Trash:
~/.dockerand~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.docker. In Finder, press⌘⇧Gand paste each path.
What does Docker leave behind on a Mac?
On our Mac, Docker Desktop 4.47.0 had files in nine places outside the app. The app itself was 2.0 GB; its data folder was more than twice that.
| Where | Size here | What it is |
|---|---|---|
~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker | 4.5 GB | The virtual disk with every image, container and volume |
~/.docker | 53 MB | Settings, contexts, sign in details, plugins |
~/Library/Application Support/Docker Desktop | 12 MB | Desktop app settings and logs |
~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.docker | not readable without Full Disk Access | Settings shared between Docker's parts |
/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.docker.vmnetd and com.docker.socket | 8.7 MB | Helpers that run as the system |
/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.docker.vmnetd.plist and com.docker.socket.plist | 8 KB | What starts those helpers at every boot |
/usr/local/bin | 8 links | docker, docker-compose, kubectl and others, all pointing into the app |
Drag only the app to the Trash and the two helpers keep starting at boot, the eight command links point at nothing, and the 4.5 GB stays. Docker's uninstaller is built to clean these up. Afterwards, check /usr/local/bin, /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools and /Library/LaunchDaemons, and move anything with docker in its name that is still there to the Trash.
Should I delete /var/lib/docker on a Mac?
No, because it is not there. /var/lib/docker is where Docker keeps its data on Linux. Several guides, and the answer some search engines show above the results, tell Mac users to delete it. On our Mac, ls /var/lib/docker answers "No such file or directory". On a Mac, Docker's data lives inside the virtual disk in ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker.
Why does the uninstaller say operation not permitted?
macOS protects other apps' containers from Terminal, so the uninstaller can fail to remove ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker itself. Docker's documentation says the error can be ignored: the uninstall worked. To clear the folder afterwards, move it to the Trash in Finder, or give your Terminal app Full Disk Access in System Settings, Privacy & Security, and run the command again. We hit the same protection measuring this guide: macOS refused to size group.com.docker until Terminal was allowed in.
How do I uninstall Docker installed with Homebrew?
Run Docker's uninstaller first, then brew uninstall --cask with the name brew list --cask shows for Docker. Homebrew removes the app it installed, but your containers and images live in the data folder above, which Homebrew does not touch. Adding --zap removes more of the leftovers, and has its own catch.
Do I need to uninstall Docker to get the space back?
Often not. If the problem is the disk filling up, pruning old images and shrinking the virtual disk gets most of it back and keeps Docker working. See why Docker's disk does not shrink and pruning images and volumes.
Find what is left in one look
Free Mac shows Docker's data folder, the helpers and the leftovers as sizes on one map, including the folders Terminal is not allowed to read, and moves what you pick to the Trash.
Common questions
Does dragging Docker to the Trash uninstall it?
Only the app. Its data folder, about 4.5 GB on our Mac, two background helpers that start at boot, and eight command links stay. Run Docker's uninstaller first: Troubleshoot, Uninstall, or /Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/uninstall.
Does uninstalling Docker delete my images and containers?
Yes. Docker's uninstaller deletes every container, image and volume on the Mac. Push or export anything you need before you run it.
Where does Docker store data on a Mac?
In a virtual disk inside ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker. The Linux location /var/lib/docker does not exist on a Mac.