Docker Desktop 4.6.1 for Mac Won't Start

Docker Desktop for Mac
#1

I am currently running Mac OS Monterey version 12.3 on an Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 2020 laptop and just upgraded to Docker Desktop for Mac 4.6.1. Docker Desktop hangs on starting. I have tried to:

  • Restart the Mac, to no avail
  • Use the troubleshooting page in Docker Desktop, but none of the options ‘Clean/Purge Data’, ‘Reset Factory Defaults’, and ‘Uninstall’ work. Even tried to stop Docker Desktop (had to use killall Docker in Terminal to do this) and the same options do not work.
  • Uninstalled Docker Desktop for Mac, after terminating all Docker processes via Activity Monitor and the command line, by binning the app and using the CLI to remove a number of Docker folders including all images and containers using various directions from elsewhere on the Internet. Reinstalled using 4.6.1. Even repeated with a downgrade to what was a working 4.6.0, but no luck, even on 4.6.0.

The self-diagnose tool produces the following output:

Starting diagnostics

[PASS] DD0027: is there available disk space on the host?
[PASS] DD0028: is there available VM disk space?
[FAIL] DD0031: does the Docker API work? Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix://Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/docker.raw.sock. Is the docker daemon running?
[PASS] DD0004: is the Docker engine running?
[PASS] DD0011: are the LinuxKit services running?
[FAIL] DD0016: is the LinuxKit VM running? vm is not running: vm has not started
[PASS] DD0001: is the application running?
[PASS] DD0018: does the host support virtualization?
[FAIL] DD0017: can a VM be started? vm has not started: vm has not started
[PASS] DD0015: are the binary symlinks installed?
Error response from daemon: dial unix ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/docker.raw.sock: connect: no such file or directory
[FAIL] DD0003: is the Docker CLI working? exit status 1
[PASS] DD0013: is the $PATH ok?
[PASS] DD0007: is the backend responding?
[PASS] DD0014: are the backend processes running?
[PASS] DD0008: is the native API responding?
[PASS] DD0009: is the vpnkit API responding?
[PASS] DD0010: is the Docker API proxy responding?
[FAIL] DD0012: is the VM networking working? network checks failed: failed to ping host: exit status 1
[2022-03-24T10:51:48.688336000Z][com.docker.diagnose][I] ipc.NewClient: 59a0be7c-diagnose-network -> Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/diagnosticd.sock diagnosticsd
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.runIsVMNetworkingOK()
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/network.go:34 +0x130
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.(*test).GetResult(0x103c4cc20)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/test.go:46 +0x44
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.Run.func1(0x103c4cc20)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:17 +0x48
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkOnce.func1(0x1, 0x103c4cc20)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:140 +0xa0
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkDepthFirst(0x1, 0x103c4cc20, 0x14000161818)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:146 +0x40
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkDepthFirst(0x0, 0x103c4caa0, 0x14000161818)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:149 +0x80
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkOnce(0x103c4caa0, 0x140003df960)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:135 +0x90
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.Run(0x103c4caa0, 0x103c4cda0, {0x140003dfad8, 0x1, 0x1})
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:16 +0x188
[main.checkCmd({0x14000032050, 0x0, 0x0}, {0x0, 0x0})
[	common/cmd/com.docker.diagnose/main.go:131 +0x114
[main.main()
[	common/cmd/com.docker.diagnose/main.go:97 +0x378
[2022-03-24T10:51:48.688454000Z][com.docker.diagnose][I] (8560a17d) 59a0be7c-diagnose-network C->S diagnosticsd POST /check-network-connectivity: {"ips":["192.168.0.31"]}
[2022-03-24T10:51:49.193149000Z][com.docker.diagnose][E] (8560a17d) 59a0be7c-diagnose-network C<-S c0154d2d-diagnosticsd POST /check-network-connectivity (504.713916ms): failed to ping host: exit status 1
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.runIsVMNetworkingOK()
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/network.go:35 +0x1bc
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.(*test).GetResult(0x103c4cc20)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/test.go:46 +0x44
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.Run.func1(0x103c4cc20)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:17 +0x48
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkOnce.func1(0x1, 0x103c4cc20)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:140 +0xa0
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkDepthFirst(0x1, 0x103c4cc20, 0x14000161818)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:146 +0x40
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkDepthFirst(0x0, 0x103c4caa0, 0x14000161818)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:149 +0x80
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.walkOnce(0x103c4caa0, 0x140003df960)
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:135 +0x90
[common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose.Run(0x103c4caa0, 0x103c4cda0, {0x140003dfad8, 0x1, 0x1})
[	common/pkg/diagkit/gather/diagnose/run.go:16 +0x188
[main.checkCmd({0x14000032050, 0x0, 0x0}, {0x0, 0x0})
[	common/cmd/com.docker.diagnose/main.go:131 +0x114
[main.main()
[	common/cmd/com.docker.diagnose/main.go:97 +0x378

[FAIL] DD0032: do Docker networks overlap with host IPs? Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix://Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/docker.raw.sock. Is the docker daemon running?
[SKIP] DD0030: is the image access management authorized?
[PASS] DD0019: is the com.docker.vmnetd process responding?
[PASS] DD0033: does the host have Internet access?

Please investigate the following 1 issue:

1 : The test: can a VM be started?
    Failed with: vm has not started: vm has not started

The Docker engine runs inside a Linux VM. Therefore we must be able to start Virtual Machines.

As a result, I am unable to use Docker. Has anyone got any idea how this issue may be resolved. Thank you in advance.

#2

I downgraded to 4.5.0 and this version works.

#3

I am running macOS 12.3 on a MacBook Pro 16-inch, 2021 with M1 Max. I’m having the same or similar problem. I upgraded from 4.5 to 4.6.1 and it worked at first. I then enabled the new VirtioFS; but after restarting, Docker Desktop will no longer start. I can’t even disable VirtioFS because even though the dashboard comes up, the spinner keeps spinning forever on the Preferences page, so I cannot click anything.

The Clean, Reset, and Uninstall buttons also do not do anything for me. Downgrading back to 4.5 also does not work. I don’t know how to get back to a working environment again at this point!

@bestudio, what process did you use to downgrade to 4.5?

Thanks

#4

Hi @rocklob, I had to go as far as removing literally everything Docker from my computer, so that means the containers, images, all (or most) of the Docker related folders as well as killing any Docker processes, either from the command line or via the Activity Monitor. I dumped the Docker app, restarted the computer, then reinstalled 4.5.0. Have you tried to clear as much of, if not everything, Docker from your machine before reinstalling 4.5.0?

#5

Hmm, i’m having the same issue. On mac os 12.13 with docker 4.6.1 and it stopped working after adding a folder to the allowed shared folders for volumes. I had to restart docker and every since it is F****ed…

I’ve completely clean up the app and related files (using AppCleaner) and reinstalled, but did not work. Then I downgraded all the way back to 4.5.0 (as suggested here) but still no luck.

Docker is starting and then after a while it just says Docker stopped. I can’t get in to the preferences either which has also been remarked in this thread as well.

I really hope someone has an idea / solution because I’m quite at the end of my rope here :see_no_evil:

#6

macOS 12.3.1 (21E258) Monterey
docker Desktop 4.6.1 (76265)

Suffering from the same exact issue.

Tried:
restart; clear-data; reset-to-factory; reboot; uninstall, reinstall (with brew), uninstall again, delete all ‘docker’ related remainders, reinstall…

Nothing works! unbelievable…

#7

Docker Desktop also won’t start on my 2016 MBP running macOS Big Sur :frowning:

#8

I’m facing the same issue after upgrading Docker to 4.6.1 on the new Macbook Pro with M1 Max & MacOS v12.3

I have tried to remove Docker and tried the following commands and nothing worked…

rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.*
softwareupdate --install-rosetta
#9

After I’ve set filesharingDirectories to

"filesharingDirectories": [],

in
~/Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker/settings.json

Docker was restarting again.
You can add those file sharing paths later again

4 Likes
#10

Works like a charm, thanks a lot @diwmarco :smiley:

As, an additional step if it didn’t work from the first time, the following command is required too

rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.*
1 Like
#11

I had the same problem: Docker wouldn’t start after updating to 4.6.1. Tried some of the things above, without success. In the end, I rebooted my Mac, reinstalled Docker 4.6.1 which suddenly asked for additional privileges and then everything worked again, finally.I gues I updated Docker while it was running and that might have resulted in the mess.

#12

4.7.0 is out, anyone tried to see if that solves the issue of Docker not starting with latest version?

#13

Looks like version 4.7.0 of Docker Desktop for Mac for Apple Silicon works fine :+1: No crashes or stalls encountered.

1 Like
#14

I just had the same problem even on 4.7.0.

I suddenly remember messing with the exported shares on the host and enabling VirtioFS.

rm -rf Library/Group\ Containers/group.com.docker
rm -rf Library/Containers/com.docker.docker
rm -rf Library/Application\ Support/Docker\ Desktop

and restarted Docker Desktop. Problem solved.

4 Likes
#15

This solved my issues, thank you @zcqian .

#16

@diwmarco thanks guys, this worked for me too

#17

Worked like a charm… The easiest solution of em all