If you're running MacOS or Windows you have a few options for installing Docker. There's even a third way too, and we'll compare them here.
Quick Jump: OS and Hardware Requirements|Pros and Cons|Which One Should I Use?
If you’re on MacOS or Windows you can install Docker with:
After installing, open the Launchpad and locate the Docker Quickstart Terminal icon. Click the icon to launch a Docker Quickstart Terminal window. Installing and running OpenFOAM. Click on the Docker.app to start Docker. The Docker whale in the top status bar indicates Docker is running. Download the following scripts and put. Running Docker Toolbox and Docker for Mac on the same host. You can run both Docker Toolbox and Docker for Mac on the same system, but not at the same time. When you use Docker for Mac, you need to unset all of your environment variables, using one of the methods above. Docker Desktop is an easy-to-install application for your Mac or Windows environment that enables you to build and share containerized applications and microservices. Docker Desktop includes Docker Engine, Docker CLI client, Docker Compose, Notary, Kubernetes, and Credential Helper. If your macOS version is 10.13.0 or higher then you can install Docker Desktop for MAC. How To Install Docker Desktop for MAC – Check the following Blog. Install Docker Toolbox: Download the latest docker version. Click on the below button to download and download.pkg file. Current Version is: v19.03.1. Kitematic - The easiest way to use Docker on Mac. Download the Docker Toolbox.
- Docker for Mac / Windows (now known as Docker Desktop)
- Docker Toolbox
- Running your own Virtual Machine and installing Docker yourself
All 3 of those options have their own pros and cons and in this article we’re going to cover them. If you’re looking for a high level overview of what Docker for Mac / Windows and Docker Toolbox is, then check out this article on getting to know Docker’s ecosystem.
OS and Hardware Requirements
It’s helpful to know what you can install before we compare everything, so let’s do that:
Docker for Mac (Docker Desktop)

Docker for Mac requires that you’re running Yosemite 10.10.3+ or newer but it’s worth mentioning that you should upgrade to 10.11+ because 10.10.x releases are considered “use at your own risk”.
You can run VirtualBox 6+ alongside Docker for Mac. This is pretty useful because you might have some legacy apps running in Vagrant / VirtualBox to deal with (I know I do!).
Docker for Windows (Docker Desktop)
As of May 27th 2020, Microsoft released Windows 10 build 2004 (Spring 2020) that allows you to run Docker Deskop on all editions of Windows 10, including Home.
For years prior to that you could only run it on Windows Pro, Enterprise or any edition that had Hyper-V available, but since this new Spring 2020 build WSL 2 is available and Docker Desktop can be configured to use it.
You can also run VirtualBox 6+ alongside Docker Desktop too, although the performance is so-so, but you can use this in a pinch if you have old legacy apps that use Vagrant and VirtualBox together.
Docker Toolbox
If you can’t run Docker for Mac or Docker for Windows then there’s the Docker Toolbox. It has much less strict requirements. As long as you can run VirtualBox then you’re good to go (Docker Toolbox manages this for you).
It works all the way back to MacOS 10.8 and Windows 7 (yep, even Home editions).
Your own Virtual Machine
Docker will happily run inside of VirtualBox, VMWare or any other Type 1 / 2 Hypervisor that’s running a major distribution of Linux.
So, similarly to the Docker Toolbox, rolling your own VM has the same requirements.
Pros and Cons
Now for the good stuff!
Docker for Mac / Docker for Windows (Docker Desktop)
Pros
Offers the most “native” experience, you can easily use any terminal you you want since Docker is effectively running on
localhostfrom MacOS / Windows’ POV.Docker is heavily developing and polishing this solution.
Cons
On certain MacOS hardware combos the volume performance can be a little slow.
I can legit say there are not any “wow this sucks!” cons for Windows, it’s really solid.
Docker Toolbox
Pros
- Offers an “out of the box” Docker experience if you have no other choice.
Cons
You need to either use the Docker Quickstart Terminal, or configure your own terminal to connect to the Docker Daemon running a VM.
Not a native solution, so you’ll need to access your Docker Machine’s IP address if you’re developing web apps. Example:
192.168.99.100instead oflocalhost.Unless you jump through hoops, your code needs to live in your Windows user directory such as
C:UsersNicksrcmyapp. Otherwise Docker won’t be able to find it.Suffers from typical VirtualBox edge case bugs and mount performance issues.
Your own Virtual Machine
I’m not going to bother listing a pros and cons here because I wouldn’t recommend doing this UNLESS you’re stuck on Windows 7. But more on that in a bit…
Which One Should I Use?
Docker Toolbox Windows 10
If you’re interested in Docker, you’re a smart person and you probably came to the conclusion that using Docker for Mac or Docker for Windows is a good idea as long as you can run it.
My recommendation would be to try Docker for Mac / Windows first, and test it against your actual use cases. The performance issues may or may not be a concern, especially since everyone’s needs and computer specs are different.
I’ve been using Docker Desktop on Windows for full time development since late 2018 and it’s been nothing short of fantastic. Currently I use it with WSL 2, but it was really good with WSL 1 along with Hyper-V too.
On Windows 7 and Like the Idea of Running Linux Too?
I want to mention a “roll your own VM” solution for Windows users because I feel like there’s an even better way to run Docker on Windows if you also like Linux and are stuck not being able to use Windows 10.
It involves running VMWare Player in a special mode called “Unity mode”. This basically allows you to run Windows and Linux together seamlessly as 1 operating system.
Docker Toolbox Mac Download Version
There’s no dual booting and Linux applications (even graphical apps) run in their own floating windows. Then you can install Docker natively on Linux inside of the VM.
The performance is excellent and the entire set up is free too.
I used this set up for about 5 years until Docker Desktop was available. It gives you the best of both worlds. For example, I run high end audio / video apps on Windows while recording courses and screencasts that cover Linux content. It all works great (even for full time development).
You can watch a video guide and see screenshots on how to do that in this post on creating an awesome Linux development environment in Windows.

Are you using the Docker Toolbox, Docker for Mac / Windows or your own VM?
Docker Machine Install Mac
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