docker
Docker Desktop on Windows not showing container / image list
Description
When using Docker Desktop on Windows the container and image list don't show. The errors "An error occurred while loading the containers list" and "An error occurred while loading the images list" are displayed. This doesn't happen on all computers, and I haven't been able to tell why it happens on some computers but not others.
Using command line (e.g. "docker image ls") works fine.
Things already attempted and failed: Rebooting the computer, uninstalling and reinstalling Docker, switching to a new user account.
Reproduce
Open Docker Desktop. View Images / Containers tabs on the left.
Expected behavior
List of containers / images shows u
docker version
Client:
Version: 28.0.1
API version: 1.48
Go version: go1.23.6
Git commit: 068a01e
Built: Wed Feb 26 10:41:52 2025
OS/Arch: windows/amd64
Context: desktop-linux
Server: Docker Desktop 4.39.0 (184744)
Engine:
Version: 28.0.1
API version: 1.48 (minimum version 1.24)
Go version: go1.23.6
Git commit: bbd0a17
Built: Wed Feb 26 10:41:16 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Experimental: false
containerd:
Version: 1.7.25
GitCommit: bcc810d6b9066471b0b6fa75f557a15a1cbf31bb
runc:
Version: 1.2.4
GitCommit: v1.2.4-0-g6c52b3f
docker-init:
Version: 0.19.0
GitCommit: de40ad0
docker info
Client:
Version: 28.0.1
Context: desktop-linux
Debug Mode: false
Plugins:
ai: Docker AI Agent - Ask Gordon (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.9.8
Path: C:\Users\USER\.docker\cli-plugins\docker-ai.exe
buildx: Docker Buildx (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.21.1-desktop.2
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-buildx.exe
compose: Docker Compose (Docker Inc.)
Version: v2.33.1-desktop.1
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-compose.exe
debug: Get a shell into any image or container (Docker Inc.)
Version: 0.0.38
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-debug.exe
desktop: Docker Desktop commands (Beta) (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.1.5
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-desktop.exe
dev: Docker Dev Environments (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.1.2
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-dev.exe
extension: Manages Docker extensions (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.2.27
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-extension.exe
feedback: Provide feedback, right in your terminal! (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.0.5
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-feedback.exe
init: Creates Docker-related starter files for your project (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.4.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-init.exe
sbom: View the packaged-based Software Bill Of Materials (SBOM) for an image (Anchore Inc.)
Version: 0.6.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-sbom.exe
scout: Docker Scout (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.16.3
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-scout.exe
Server:
Containers: 1
Running: 0
Paused: 0
Stopped: 1
Images: 1
Server Version: 28.0.1
Storage Driver: overlayfs
driver-type: io.containerd.snapshotter.v1
Logging Driver: json-file
Cgroup Driver: cgroupfs
Cgroup Version: 1
Plugins:
Volume: local
Network: bridge host ipvlan macvlan null overlay
Log: awslogs fluentd gcplogs gelf journald json-file local splunk syslog
CDI spec directories:
/etc/cdi
/var/run/cdi
Swarm: inactive
Runtimes: io.containerd.runc.v2 nvidia runc
Default Runtime: runc
Init Binary: docker-init
containerd version: bcc810d6b9066471b0b6fa75f557a15a1cbf31bb
runc version: v1.2.4-0-g6c52b3f
init version: de40ad0
Security Options:
seccomp
Profile: unconfined
Kernel Version: 5.15.153.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2
Operating System: Docker Desktop
OSType: linux
Architecture: x86_64
CPUs: 4
Total Memory: 3.747GiB
Name: docker-desktop
ID: e6b80b9a-1c5a-4d42-8eba-b93db2c1f472
Docker Root Dir: /var/lib/docker
Debug Mode: false
HTTP Proxy: http.docker.internal:3128
HTTPS Proxy: http.docker.internal:3128
No Proxy: hubproxy.docker.internal
Labels:
com.docker.desktop.address=npipe://\\.\pipe\docker_cli
Experimental: false
Insecure Registries:
hubproxy.docker.internal:5555
::1/128
127.0.0.0/8
Live Restore Enabled: false
WARNING: No blkio throttle.read_bps_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.write_bps_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.read_iops_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.write_iops_device support
WARNING: daemon is not using the default seccomp profile
Diagnostics ID
C6126E8A-C1BF-48CA-A2F2-20FE83C1D32E/20250318141506
Additional Info
No response
Similar experience here, but even the CLI didn't work. Docker still worked from inside Ubuntu 22.04, but for some reason it wouldn't from Windows 11 Enterprise. I finally threw in the towel and uninstalled Docker Desktop, Ubuntu 22.04 and WSL features, cleaned up existing files and Registry entries, and started from scratch - same experience after installing v4.39 again. So, I repeated the entire process, but installed v4.38 from here: https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/#4380, and that worked as it had before. Definitely a pretty bad bug of some sort with this version 4.39.
Same here. Never had this on earlier versions but for me it started on 4.41.2. Funny thing that CLI also hangs and I can't even collect diagnostics id - so I see at least you were lucky to get docker system info
I haven't updated to a newer version since then. I was hoping someone who moderates the repo would provide any kind of update...
@ThePlenkov can you confirm if generating the diagnostics id failed? It may take some time depending on the state of your system
No is not generating . It just keeps sending a log that is busy.. will share later the sample
This happened to me today while running 4.39.0.
Found a fix here by olaferlandsen on this also open issue, but was not able to confirm if it works as I found it after beginning the reinstalling proccess. https://github.com/docker/desktop-linux/issues/275
Same issue here, happened from one day to another without interacting with docker at all. I assume it's from a windows update
dockerd.log
time="2025-06-24T09:40:15.694382053Z" level=info msg="Starting up"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:15.808976476Z" level=info msg="Creating a containerd client" address=/run/containerd/containerd.sock timeout=1m0s
time="2025-06-24T09:40:15.830635665Z" level=info msg="[graphdriver] using prior storage driver: overlay2"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:15.832481621Z" level=info msg="Loading containers: start."
time="2025-06-24T09:40:15.935316304Z" level=info msg="failed to read ipv6 net.ipv6.conf.<bridge>.accept_ra" bridge=docker0 syspath=/proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/docker0/accept_ra
time="2025-06-24T09:40:15.935391677Z" level=info msg="failed to read ipv6 net.ipv6.conf.<bridge>.accept_ra" bridge=docker0 syspath=/proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/docker0/accept_ra
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.221571405Z" level=warning msg="Error (Unable to complete atomic operation, key modified) deleting object [endpoint_count 71da00e9366c5179dce6c8067aef0ceab2ebd8f3583917481780d32d4f2f98be], retrying...."
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.226634000Z" level=info msg="failed to read ipv6 net.ipv6.conf.<bridge>.accept_ra" bridge=docker0 syspath=/proc/sys/net/ipv6/conf/docker0/accept_ra
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.250618226Z" level=info msg="Loading containers: done."
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.262326508Z" level=warning msg="WARNING: DOCKER_INSECURE_NO_IPTABLES_RAW is set"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.262359631Z" level=info msg="Docker daemon" commit=45873be containerd-snapshotter=false storage-driver=overlay2 version=28.2.2
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.262580522Z" level=info msg="Initializing buildkit"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.264374828Z" level=warning msg="CDI setup error /var/run/cdi: failed to monitor for changes: no such file or directory"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.348137794Z" level=info msg="Completed buildkit initialization"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.350844244Z" level=info msg="Daemon has completed initialization"
time="2025-06-24T09:40:16.350896493Z" level=info msg="API listen on /var/run/docker.raw.sock"
2025/06/24 09:40:20 traces export: rpc error: code = Unimplemented desc = unknown service opentelemetry.proto.collector.trace.v1.TraceService
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.973562830Z" level=error msg="Failed to get event" error="rpc error: code = Unavailable desc = error reading from server: EOF" module=libcontainerd namespace=moby
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.973606737Z" level=info msg="Waiting for containerd to be ready to restart event processing" module=libcontainerd namespace=moby
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.973563139Z" level=error msg="Failed to get event" error="rpc error: code = Unavailable desc = error reading from server: EOF" module=libcontainerd namespace=plugins.moby
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.973700543Z" level=info msg="Waiting for containerd to be ready to restart event processing" module=libcontainerd namespace=plugins.moby
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.974297376Z" level=info msg="Processing signal 'terminated'"
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.975360147Z" level=warning msg="Error while testing if containerd API is ready" error="Canceled: grpc: the client connection is closing"
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.975697183Z" level=info msg="stopping event stream following graceful shutdown" error="context canceled" module=libcontainerd namespace=moby
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.975741582Z" level=warning msg="Error while testing if containerd API is ready" error="Canceled: latest balancer error: connection error: desc = \"transport: Error while dialing: dial unix /run/containerd/containerd.sock: connect: connection refused\""
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.975759471Z" level=info msg="stopping event stream following graceful shutdown" error="context canceled" module=libcontainerd namespace=plugins.moby
2025/06/24 09:41:26 traces export: rpc error: code = Unimplemented desc = unknown service opentelemetry.proto.collector.trace.v1.TraceService
time="2025-06-24T09:41:26.976401092Z" level=info msg="Daemon shutdown complete"
Anything else I can provide?
I am running into this issue as well with the latest version of Docker Desktop (4.42) and no amount of uninstalling fixed it . I had to revert back to 4.38 but the auto updater updated me back to 4.42 which is still broken.
I was able to workaround this issue by using:
docker context ls
docker context use default
Deleting the wrong context doesn't work because docker recreates it every time. I have to switch context every time I start docker
I was able to workaround this issue by using:
docker context ls docker context use default Deleting the wrong context doesn't work because docker recreates it every time. I have to switch context every time I start docker
Didn't work for me :( But strangely only Linux containers don't work, Windows containers work.
I am facing this issue too. It seems like someone is not encoding the pipe URL properly when in windows, because when you run docker ps in linux it works but in windows you see that the "/" characters get encoded to %2F everywhere. This is within the docker system I think, because it occurs from powershell and within vscode. It started for me yesterday.
http://%2F%2F.%2Fpipe%2FdockerDesktopLinuxEngine/v1.51/containers/json, check if the server supports the requested API version
No clue why they are attempting to escape those characters, and nothing i can do seems to override it.
Docker uses named pipes (npipe://) to communicate with its engine on Windows.
Something in Docker Desktop's recent versions misinterprets this pipe URL as an HTTP endpoint and tries to encode it as a URI, which results in %2F%2F style escapes.
This only affects Windows native CLI tools—not WSL2, which uses Linux-style communication and avoids the issue entirely
Similar issue with 4.43.2 (Win10-64) I've tried resetting/uninstalling/re-installing multiple times.
The UI is also extremely sluggish, with errors using any docker compose commands. Docker is essentially useless, and I've wiped all my images/containers trying to fix it. :(
For me the problem went away on Win10-64 after stopping Docker Desktop, then updating wsl with wsl --update to 2.5.10 and restarting Docker Desktop (v4.44.1).
