Cleaning Docker Desktop off of your Mac

Cleaning up

Uninstalling Docker Desktop from a Mac can be done easily via the Docker app or manually if necessary. Here’s how you can do it:

Method 1: Uninstall using Docker Desktop app

1. Open Docker Desktop:

• Click the Docker icon in your menu bar (top-right of your screen).
• Choose Preferences (or Settings depending on the version).

1. Uninstall Docker Desktop:

• Go to the Troubleshoot tab.
• Click on Uninstall at the bottom of the page.
• Follow any prompts to complete the uninstallation.

This will uninstall Docker Desktop and most associated files.

Method 2: Manual Uninstallation

If you want to completely remove Docker Desktop, including all settings and files, follow these steps:

1. Quit Docker Desktop:

• Ensure Docker Desktop is not running by quitting the application from the menu bar.

1. Remove Docker Desktop Application:

• Go to the Applications folder.
• Find Docker.app and drag it to the Trash.

1. Remove Docker system files:
   To fully clean Docker, you need to remove related files. Open a Terminal and run the following commands:

   # Remove Docker binaries and configuration
sudo rm -rf /Applications/Docker.app
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Docker\ Desktop
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/Docker\ Desktop
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.docker.docker.plist
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Saved\ Application\ State/com.electron.docker-frontend.savedState

4. Remove Docker-related files:
   If you have Docker Engine and its components installed, you may want to remove them as well. Run:

   # Remove Docker CLI configurations
sudo rm -rf ~/.docker

5. Remove Docker Virtualization Components (optional):
   Docker uses a lightweight virtual machine (VM) for its containers. To remove the virtual machine and related resources:

   # Remove VM and virtual network
sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.*

6. Remove Docker network settings (optional):
   If Docker created any networking settings that you want to remove, run:

   # Remove Docker networking files
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/docker

Method 3: Use a Third-Party Uninstaller (optional)

If you want to ensure a more comprehensive cleanup, you can use third-party uninstaller apps like AppCleaner or CleanMyMac, which will detect and remove Docker-related files.

After following these steps, Docker Desktop should be fully uninstalled from your Mac. If you need any more help, let me know!