Fix Docker Suddenly Not Working on Mac

If your Docker on Mac was working fine but suddenly stops starting, this guide will help you fix it. Important: This process will delete all your Docker containers.

Step 1: Force Quit Docker

Open Finder, navigate to Applications > Utilities > Activity Monitor.app, locate Docker or Docker Desktop, and if it’s not responding, select it and click Force Quit.

Step 2: Remove Docker Containers

Open Terminal and run the following command. This will delete all your Docker containers and reset the container files.


sudo rm -rf ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.*

Step 3: Edit Docker Settings

Open the Docker settings file in Terminal:


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

Find the key "filesharingDirectories" and remove all entries inside it, leaving it like this:


"filesharingDirectories": []

Step 4: Restart Docker

Go back to your Applications folder, locate Docker, and launch it. It may take a minute or so to fully start.

References

Docker Desktop Mac Troubleshooting

Fix Docker Suddenly Not Working on Mac