Docker Desktop fails to start: Access denied on pipe \.\pipe\docker_engine

Hello, I’m encountering an issue when trying to start Docker Desktop on Windows. After installation, when I attempt to launch the application, I get the following error:

An unexpected error occurred  
starting services: initializing Docker API Proxy: setting up docker api proxy listener: open \\.\pipe\docker_engine: Access is denied.

The diagnostics feature does not return any results — it just loads indefinitely after clicking “Gather diagnostics”.

I’ve already tried:

  • Running Docker Desktop as administrator
  • Verifying the Docker service in services.msc
  • Ensuring my user account has administrative privileges
  • Attempting to reset Docker to factory defaults
  • Reinstalling Docker Desktop completely

Nothing worked so far, and I’m unable to use Docker on my machine. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

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