How to fix Error response from daemon: Cannot unpause container: Container is not paused in Docker

First, verify the actual state of your container:

docker ps -a --filter "name=<container_name>"

Look at the STATUS column to understand the container's current state:

| Status | Meaning | Correct Command |
|--------|---------|-----------------|
| Up X minutes | Running normally | No action needed |
| Up X minutes (Paused) | Paused | docker unpause |
| Exited (0) | Stopped cleanly | docker start |
| Exited (1) | Stopped with error | docker start or docker logs |
| Created | Never started | docker start |

You can also inspect the pause state directly:

docker inspect <container_name> --format='{{.State.Status}} (Paused: {{.State.Paused}})'

Based on the container's actual state, use the appropriate command:

If the container is stopped or exited:

docker start <container_name>

If the container is already running:

No action is needed - the container is already operational. Verify it's working:

docker ps
docker logs <container_name>

If you actually want to pause and then unpause:

# First pause the container
docker pause <container_name>

# Then unpause when ready
docker unpause <container_name>

If you're automating container management, check the state before attempting to unpause:

#!/bin/bash
CONTAINER_NAME="my_container"

# Get container state
STATE=$(docker inspect "$CONTAINER_NAME" --format='{{.State.Status}}' 2>/dev/null)
PAUSED=$(docker inspect "$CONTAINER_NAME" --format='{{.State.Paused}}' 2>/dev/null)

case "$STATE" in
  "running")
    if [ "$PAUSED" = "true" ]; then
      echo "Container is paused, unpausing..."
      docker unpause "$CONTAINER_NAME"
    else
      echo "Container is already running"
    fi
    ;;
  "exited"|"created")
    echo "Container is stopped, starting..."
    docker start "$CONTAINER_NAME"
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Container state: $STATE"
    ;;
esac

This prevents the error by checking the state first.

If you expected a container to be paused but it's not, consider these scenarios:

After a system restart:
Paused containers do not survive reboots. When Docker restarts, previously paused containers will be in a stopped state. You need to use docker start instead.

After Docker daemon restart:
Similarly, restarting the Docker daemon (via systemctl restart docker or Docker Desktop restart) will stop all paused containers.

To verify:

# Check when Docker was last started
systemctl show docker --property=ActiveEnterTimestamp

# Check container's last state change
docker inspect <container_name> --format='{{.State.FinishedAt}}'

If the container stopped around the time Docker restarted, that explains why it's no longer paused.