How to Install Docker on macOS Using Docker Desktop

This article is based on a guide originally published on TechRepublic. It covers installing Docker on macOS using Docker Desktop, the official supported installer from Docker, Inc.

Why Docker Desktop Is the Best Starting Point for macOS

macOS is a popular choice for cloud and container-based development thanks to its Unix foundation, stability, and tooling ecosystem. If you want to run Docker on a Mac, Docker Desktop is the path of least resistance. It handles the entire installation in a few clicks and sets up everything you need to start pulling images and running containers immediately.

It is worth being clear about what Docker Desktop does and does not provide:

• What it installs: the Docker daemon, the docker CLI, Docker Compose, and Docker credential helpers.
• What it adds to macOS: a menu-bar whale icon that gives quick access to preferences, sign-in to Docker Hub, and status information.
• What it does not do: provide a full Apple-native GUI for container lifecycle management out of the box. For that, a separate tool such as Kitematic (now deprecated upstream) or third-party alternatives are needed.

Prerequisites

• A supported version of macOS (check the Docker Desktop release notes for the current minimum version requirement).
• Administrator privileges on the Mac.
• A free Docker Hub account if you intend to push images or access private repositories.

Installing Docker Desktop

The installation process is straightforward:

1. Go to docker.com/products/docker-desktop and download the macOS installer (.dmg file). Choose the correct chip architecture — Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel — for your machine.
2. Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount the disk image.
3. In the installer window, drag the Docker icon into the Applications folder.
4. Open Docker from the Applications folder. macOS will prompt you for your administrator password so the Docker daemon can be installed as a system service.
5. Wait for the whale icon to appear in the menu bar and animate. Once the animation stops and the icon is steady, Docker is running.

To verify the installation, open Terminal and run:

docker --version
docker run hello-world

A successful hello-world run confirms that the daemon is reachable and images can be pulled from Docker Hub.

Working with Docker from the Command Line

Once Docker Desktop is running, every standard Docker command works in Terminal. For example, to pull and run the latest NGINX image:

# Pull the latest NGINX image
docker pull nginx

# Run NGINX, mapping port 8080 on your Mac to port 80 in the container
docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name my-nginx nginx

# Confirm the container is running
docker psCode language: PHP (php)

Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080 to see the NGINX welcome page served from inside the container.

GUI-Based Container Management

If you prefer a graphical interface for searching Docker Hub, launching containers, and inspecting logs, there are a couple of options:

Docker Desktop Dashboard

Modern versions of Docker Desktop ship with a built-in Dashboard that lets you view running containers, inspect logs, open a shell inside a container, and manage volumes and images — all without leaving the app. Click the Docker whale icon in the menu bar and select Dashboard to open it.

Kitematic (Legacy)

Kitematic was a standalone GUI tool for Docker that was bundled with older versions of Docker Desktop. It has since been deprecated by Docker, Inc. and is no longer actively maintained. If you are running a recent version of Docker Desktop, the built-in Dashboard covers the same use cases. If you still need Kitematic for a legacy workflow, download it directly from the GitHub releases page rather than through the Docker menu, as the menu-bar shortcut in older versions was known to produce a broken installation.

Optional: Installing Git

Most Docker-based workflows involve pulling application source code from a Git repository. If Git is not already on your Mac, the simplest installation methods are:

• Xcode Command Line Tools: Run git --version in Terminal; macOS will prompt you to install the tools if Git is missing.
• Homebrew: Run brew install git for the latest upstream version.
• Official installer: Download from git-scm.com/download/mac.

Key Takeaways

• Docker Desktop is the official, supported, and easiest way to install Docker on macOS.
• After installation, verify with docker run hello-world before starting any real work.
• Use the built-in Docker Desktop Dashboard for GUI-based container management on current versions.
• Kitematic is deprecated; rely on the Dashboard or third-party tools for GUI workflows.
• Standard docker and docker compose CLI commands work in any Terminal session once Docker Desktop is running.