How can I migrate a Docker Desktop application from Windows to a Linux VM?

You generally don’t back up the container itself. Containers are disposable; the important pieces are the Compose file or equivalent run configuration, the images, and every persistent bind mount or named volume. Use the existing setup to identify those mounts, copy the configuration to the Linux VM, restore the data there, and start fresh containers with Docker Compose.

A single archive of the whole Docker directory is not a dependable migration method, especially when moving between Docker Desktop on Windows and native Docker on Linux. First stop writes or put the application into maintenance mode, back up each bind mount or volume, dump the database, and preserve the environment variables and Compose settings. Then restore those pieces on the new host and run the containers there.

For Xibo, pay special attention to the database. Export the MySQL database with a proper database dump while it’s running, rather than simply copying its live data directory, since copying active InnoDB files can produce a broken restore. The CMS library and other file-based data can be copied or synchronized separately. After transferring the Compose configuration and data, recreate the containers on Linux and verify the volume paths and permissions.