I installed Docker Desktop 4.76.0 on a fresh Windows 11 setup, but starting it does not open any visible interface or show the usual running status. Instead, the Docker Desktop Backend process gradually consumes more and more memory until it uses nearly all of my system RAM. I have already reinstalled Docker several times, removed its files, restarted my computer, and performed what should be a clean reinstall, but the behavior is unchanged. I usually shut the computer down once memory usage reaches around 12 GB to prevent a crash. Is this a known issue with the latest version, and how can I diagnose whether Docker Desktop or WSL is responsible? Would rolling back to an earlier release or configuring Docker through WSL directly be a practical workaround?
3 Answers
A rollback may be worth trying. One person reported that the leak began after an update and stopped after returning to version 4.39. If an older release works normally, that points toward a regression in the current version rather than a problem with your installation.
Docker Desktop is mainly a convenience layer that manages the Docker engine, usually through WSL2 on Windows. You can configure WSL and run the Docker engine there yourself, which avoids some Desktop-specific problems, although it requires more manual setup and maintenance.
First check which process is actually growing in Task Manager. Docker Desktop may be using WSL2, and the memory could be attributed to the WSL virtual machine rather than the Docker backend itself. Look for processes such as VmmemWSL and compare their usage with Docker Desktop Backend before assuming the application is leaking.
That makes sense. I was expecting Docker Desktop to provide the interface and manage the engine automatically, so I will first identify whether WSL is the process consuming the memory before trying the manual setup.