How can I change the location of docker images when using Docker Desktop on WSL2 with Windows 10 Home?

by

The WSL 2 docker-desktop-data vm disk image would normally reside in:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Docker\wsl\data\ext4.vhdx

Follow the following to relocate it to other drive/directory, with all existing docker data preserved (tested against Docker Desktop 2.3.0.4 (46911), and continued to work after updating the 3.1.0 (51484)):

First, shut down your docker desktop by right click on the Docker Desktop icon and select Quit Docker Desktop

Then, open your command prompt:

wsl --list -v

You should be able to see, make sure the STATE for both is Stopped.(wsl --shutdown)

  NAME                   STATE           VERSION
* docker-desktop         Stopped         2
  docker-desktop-data    Stopped         2

Export docker-desktop-data into a file

wsl --export docker-desktop-data "D:\Docker\wsl\data\docker-desktop-data.tar"

Unregister docker-desktop-data from wsl, note that after this, your ext4.vhdx file would automatically be removed (so back it up first if you have important existing image/container):

wsl --unregister docker-desktop-data

Import the docker-desktop-data back to wsl, but now the ext4.vhdx would reside in different drive/directory:

wsl --import docker-desktop-data "D:\Docker\wsl\data" "D:\Docker\wsl\data\docker-desktop-data.tar" --version 2

Start the Docker Desktop again and it should work

You may delete the D:\Docker\wsl\data\docker-desktop-data.tar file (NOT the ext4.vhdx file) if everything looks good for you after verifying

More Related Contents:

  1. What is linux equivalent of “host.docker.internal” [duplicate]
  2. Locating data volumes in Docker Desktop (Windows)
  3. Docker cannot start on Windows
  4. Docker windows container memory limit
  5. Docker Compose wait for container X before starting Y
  6. What is the difference between docker-compose ports vs expose
  7. Confused about Docker -t option to Allocate a pseudo-TTY
  8. How to mount a single file in a volume
  9. How to set the locale inside a Debian/Ubuntu Docker container?
  10. Docker: Got permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket at unix:///var/run/docker.sock
  11. Exposing a port on a live Docker container
  12. How to update /etc/hosts file in Docker image during “docker build”
  13. Conditional COPY/ADD in Dockerfile?
  14. docker: “build” requires 1 argument. See ‘docker build –help’
  15. Docker build “Could not resolve ‘archive.ubuntu.com'” apt-get fails to install anything
  16. How to set an environment variable in a running docker container
  17. Docker mount to folder overriding content
  18. Is it possible to start a shell session in a running container (without ssh)
  19. Docker for GUI-based environments?
  20. How to test dockerignore file?
  21. How do I set hostname in docker-compose?
  22. Is it safe to clean docker/overlay2/
  23. How do I set environment variables during the build in docker
  24. How to get Docker containers to talk to each other while running on my local host?
  25. Kafka access inside and outside docker [duplicate]
  26. Change directory command in Docker?
  27. Dockerfile build – possible to ignore error?
  28. Differences Between Dockerfile Instructions in Shell and Exec Form
  29. What is meant by shared kernel in Docker?
  30. Multiple Docker containers and Celery

Leave a Comment