All volumes, containers and images are missing after Docker for Windows upgrade

Description

After launching the latest upgrade, there are no containers, images and volumes visible in the UI.

Also nothing visible, if I execute:

docker ps -a
docker image ls -a
docker volume ls

I see that the volume folders are still there under: \wsl$\docker-desktop-data\version-pack-data\community\docker\volumes

Can anybody recommend a solution?

Reproduce

install the latest update (version 4.31.0)
launch Docker for Windows (launches automatically)
use the menu in the UI to open Containers, Volumes etc
also check using Docker command line tools

Expected behavior

Upgrade successful and Docker for Windows starts up and previous volumes, images and containers are visible / usable.

docker version

docker version
Client:
 Version:           26.1.4
 API version:       1.45
 Go version:        go1.21.11
 Git commit:        5650f9b
 Built:             Wed Jun  5 11:29:54 2024
 OS/Arch:           windows/amd64
 Context:           desktop-linux

Server: Docker Desktop 4.31.0 (153195)
 Engine:
  Version:          26.1.4
  API version:      1.45 (minimum version 1.24)
  Go version:       go1.21.11
  Git commit:       de5c9cf
  Built:            Wed Jun  5 11:29:22 2024
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     false
 containerd:
  Version:          1.6.33
  GitCommit:        d2d58213f83a351ca8f528a95fbd145f5654e957
 runc:
  Version:          1.1.12
  GitCommit:        v1.1.12-0-g51d5e94
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.19.0
  GitCommit:        de40ad0

docker info

docker info
Client:
 Version:    26.1.4
 Context:    desktop-linux
 Debug Mode: false
 Plugins:
  buildx: Docker Buildx (Docker Inc.)
    Version:  v0.14.1-desktop.1
    Path:     C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-buildx.exe
  compose: Docker Compose (Docker Inc.)
    Version:  v2.27.1-desktop.1
    Path:     C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-compose.exe
  debug: Get a shell into any image or container (Docker Inc.)
    Version:  0.0.32
    Path:     C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-debug.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:  v0.2.24
    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:  v1.2.0
    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:  v1.9.3
    Path:     C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-scout.exe

Server:
 Containers: 1
  Running: 1
  Paused: 0
  Stopped: 0
 Images: 4
 Server Version: 26.1.4
 Storage Driver: overlay2
  Backing Filesystem: tmpfs
  Supports d_type: true
  Using metacopy: false
  Native Overlay Diff: true
  userxattr: false
 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
 Swarm: inactive
 Runtimes: io.containerd.runc.v2 runc
 Default Runtime: runc
 Init Binary: docker-init
 containerd version: d2d58213f83a351ca8f528a95fbd145f5654e957
 runc version: v1.1.12-0-g51d5e94
 init version: de40ad0
 Security Options:
  seccomp
   Profile: unconfined
 Kernel Version: 5.15.146.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2
 Operating System: Docker Desktop
 OSType: linux
 Architecture: x86_64
 CPUs: 6
 Total Memory: 9.717GiB
 Name: docker-desktop
 ID: 04323cfe-2afb-408d-84f8-942d3b89e298
 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
  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

6117E11F-C8D4-414E-9ED5-1D0AE0C8A0AE/20240606155414

Additional Info

No response

Windows 10 + WSL2 with all updates.
I was upgrading from the previous Docker for Windows version.

$ wsl --list -v
NAME STATE VERSION
= Debian Running 2
docker-desktop Running 2
docker-desktop-data Running 2

$ docker context ls
NAME DESCRIPTION DOCKER ENDPOINT ERROR
default Current DOCKER_HOST based configuration npipe:////./pipe/docker_engine
desktop-linux * Docker Desktop npipe:////./pipe/dockerDesktopLinuxEngine

WSL seems up and running.
In Docker for Windows and under Settings-Resources, I can see disk image location as following:
C:\Users\elend\AppData\Local\Docker\wsl
This seems to be right, as under the data/ folder I can see the ext4.vhdx, which is the image of the WSL2.

And if I Win Run the following: \wsl$\docker-desktop-data\version-pack-data\community\docker\volumes
I can see all the folders for the volumes I previously had.

Until this time I haven't had any problems while upgrading Docker for Windows with existing data (containers, images, volumes).

I haven't had any special configuration regarding Docker for Windows AFAIK - just WSL2.

I just saw the settings of "Switch to Windows containers..." in the system tray menu.
May this be related to this problem?

While searching similar problems, I have seen storage driver mentioned - can this be related to the problem?

Should I install back the previous version of Docker for Windows?

same issue

I also noticed the following.

If I restart the computer, all containers, images, volumes, cache - all gone - clean slate.
But all the Docker for Windows extensions are there visible in the sidebar.
If I click on some extensions, then it seems that some images and containers are pulled (to support the extension).
If I restart the computer, all clean slate again.

If I restart and let Docker for Windows start up, then it gets started (but no containers, images and volumes).
If I then quit from the taskbar, and start Docker for Windows again, then the UI starts, but the "Starting the Docker Engine..." keeps scrolling and I can't open the Containers, Images, etc pages from the side menu.

And also noticed there is a Windows service called "Docker Desktop Service", which isn't started (I have no idea whether it should).

As i see the volume directories (\wsl$\docker-desktop-data\version-pack-data\community\docker\volumes), I probably have all the necessary data, so hopefully no data loss.
But I would still prefer to restore all the previous state (volumes and images at least), if possible (there was an image with long-running build that I can’t easily pull etc).

And I'm still not sure whether Docker for Windows works correctly after the upgrade.
Eg where does it store the new volumes (and images etc), if it doesn't pick up the existing ones from (\wsl$\docker-desktop-data\version-pack-data\community\docker\volumes)? And why restarting Docker for Windows (from the tray) hangs?

I can confirm that downgrading Docker for Windows to the previous version solved the issue for me currently (from 4.31.0 to 4.30.0).
https://docs.docker.com/desktop/release-notes/#4300
I can see all my previous volumes, images, and containers.
And I can run my containers and everything works fine.
What a relief.

I executed the following in PowerShell:
& '.\Docker Desktop Installer.exe' install --disable-version-check

#13824 (comment)

@elenderik

@elenderik You saved my day - thanks alot!!!!!

@quidnun

We are investigating this issue. @quidnun @dnalneh can you please share a diagnostics id?

I gathered and uploaded diagnostics again, after I had downgraded to 4.30.0 and everything is working again - maybe this helps too.

6117E11F-C8D4-414E-9ED5-1D0AE0C8A0AE/20240607094929

@Aetles

@Aetles https://desktop.docker.com/win/main/amd64/149282/Docker%20Desktop%20Installer.exe

Just upgraded to v4.37.1 today and all of my containers are no longer there. Would be nice to get some forewarning that this is going to happen...

Looks like #14461 is the new issue for this

@andrea-reale

*thank you for the feedback about uninstall deleting the data without alerting the user. I agree it should at least let the user know about the side effect, and give the options to keep the data.

@andrea-reale This still just happened to me. Where was the warning? I lost everything and I'm trying to recover from backups (and failing to do so). I can't remember a single other app that, when uninstalled, nukes user data. Frankly, this is unacceptable and should be a P1 issue.

Just happened here on updating to v4.37. I know knowledge/experience helps in these matters and I'm a newer user. That said, it doesn't take a farmer, let alone a veterinarian, to recognize horse crap when you see it, and this is horse crap.

It also just happened to me with 4.37.1. This is unacceptable.

Same here with 4.37.1 (178610). I hope downgrading will help,

Diagnostics ID: F58C1FE8-880F-471A-9E55-F6A0DEFD147F/20250110210755

Same here as well: 4.37.1

So frustrating....

This seems to be a duplicate of #14461 . In that issue, I have shared a development build that hopefully addresses the problem.

Please, feel free to share any feedback in the new issue.

I have the same issue: 4.37.1
Diagnostics ID: 845988C8-575D-4EF4-A838-6818C22FEF50/20250115155251

"Hmm. upgrade available.. Yeah, why not.. it's probably just another next->next->finish.."
Big mistake! Now I have to re-learn everything I have unlearned and never fully understood from the start. Bah

on my side, it helped to do --force-recreate

Hi folks!
i updated from 4.30.0 to 4.41.2 today and everything is working perfectly — I can see everything.

after 3 hours of pain i just downgraded from 4.42 to 4.30 to see lost containers and images. they have gone after wsl import from backup. no context manipulation take effect. data appears again only after downgrade.

this is the 2nd time, when i downgrade after the same issue. it seems that i will stay on 4.30 forever =)))(

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All volumes, containers and images are missing after Docker for Windows upgrade #14118

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All volumes, containers and images are missing after Docker for Windows upgrade #14118

Description

Description

Reproduce

Expected behavior

docker version

docker info

Diagnostics ID

Additional Info

Activity

elenderik commented on Jun 6, 2024

elenderik commented on Jun 6, 2024

quidnun commented on Jun 6, 2024

elenderik commented on Jun 6, 2024

elenderik commented on Jun 6, 2024

elenderik commented on Jun 7, 2024

dnalneh commented on Jun 7, 2024

bsousaa commented on Jun 7, 2024

elenderik commented on Jun 7, 2024

84 remaining items

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teharris1 commented on Jan 1, 2025

SteveMieskoski commented on Jan 10, 2025

andreasgou commented on Jan 13, 2025

andrea-reale commented on Jan 13, 2025

griego62 commented on Jan 15, 2025

erikrandom commented on Jan 24, 2025

maciejk-code commented on Jan 24, 2025

empiricompany commented on May 17, 2025

Pashted commented on Jun 19, 2025

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