Docker Desktop lost all containers and images after a Windows restart—can they be recovered?

Your data may still be inside Docker Desktop’s Linux virtual machine. First, avoid uninstalling Docker Desktop, resetting it, or deleting any WSL distributions, since those actions could remove the underlying disk image. Check whether the WSL environment is still present with `wsl --list --verbose`, then start Docker Desktop and see whether the original data becomes visible again.

Deleting the daemon configuration usually doesn’t intentionally delete images or containers, so the missing objects may be caused by Docker starting with a different data location or by a damaged WSL virtual disk. Check Docker Desktop’s Resources or storage settings to confirm the data directory, and review the Docker Desktop logs for WSL or disk-mount errors. If you have an export, backup, or Windows File History copy of the virtual disk, restore that copy rather than resetting Docker.

Docker Desktop stores Linux containers and images in a virtual disk rather than directly in the Windows filesystem. Depending on the Docker Desktop version, this is associated with the `docker-desktop-data` distribution or the Docker Desktop virtual disk, often an `ext4.vhdx` file. Look for that disk in Docker Desktop’s data directory and make a backup copy before attempting repairs. If the virtual disk is intact, recovery may be possible by restoring it or reconnecting it, but editing or deleting files inside it manually can make things worse.

For important projects, it’s safer not to rely on Docker Desktop as the only place where data exists. Keep source code and persistent application data in bind mounts or named-volume backups, and consider running Docker in a dedicated Linux VM or server. Containers themselves are disposable, so without a surviving Docker virtual disk or backup, the original containers and images may not be recoverable.