How to fix Hardware assisted virtualization and data execution protection must be enabled in the BIOS in Docker

First, verify whether virtualization is currently enabled on your system:

Using Task Manager:
1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager
2. Click the "Performance" tab
3. Select "CPU" from the left panel
4. Look for "Virtualization:" at the bottom - it should say "Enabled"

Using System Information:

systeminfo

Look for the "Hyper-V Requirements" section at the bottom. If you see "A hypervisor has been detected. Features required for Hyper-V will not be displayed", virtualization is working.

If virtualization shows "Disabled", proceed to enable it in BIOS.

Restart your computer and enter BIOS/UEFI settings. The key varies by manufacturer:

| Manufacturer | BIOS Key |
|-------------|----------|
| Dell | F2 or F12 |
| HP | F10 or Esc |
| Lenovo | F1 or F2 |
| ASUS | F2 or Del |
| Acer | F2 or Del |
| MSI | Del |

For Intel CPUs, look for:
- "Intel Virtualization Technology" or "Intel VT-x"
- "VT-d" (for directed I/O)
- Usually found under: Advanced > CPU Configuration

For AMD CPUs, look for:
- "SVM Mode" (Secure Virtual Machine)
- "AMD-V"
- Usually found under: Advanced > CPU Configuration or Tweaker > Advanced CPU Settings

Enable both virtualization AND NX/XD bit:
- "Execute Disable Bit" or "NX Mode" (should be Enabled)

Save changes and exit BIOS (usually F10).

After enabling virtualization in BIOS, enable the required Windows features.

For Windows Pro/Enterprise (using Hyper-V):

1. Press Win + R, type optionalfeatures, press Enter
2. Check the following boxes:
- Hyper-V (expand and check all sub-items)
- Windows Hypervisor Platform
3. Click OK and restart when prompted

Using PowerShell (as Administrator):

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName HypervisorPlatform -All

Using DISM (as Administrator):

dism.exe /Online /Enable-Feature:Microsoft-Hyper-V /All

Restart your computer after enabling these features.

Windows Home doesn't have Hyper-V, but Docker Desktop can use WSL 2 instead.

Enable WSL and Virtual Machine Platform:

# Enable WSL
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

# Enable Virtual Machine Platform
dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

Restart your computer, then set WSL 2 as default:

wsl --set-default-version 2

Update WSL to the latest version:

wsl --update

In Docker Desktop Settings, ensure "Use the WSL 2 based engine" is checked.

Sometimes the hypervisor launch type gets set to "Off" by other software. Fix this with:

Check current setting:

bcdedit

Look for hypervisorlaunchtype. If it says "Off", change it:

Enable hypervisor auto-start (run as Administrator):

bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto

You should see "The operation completed successfully."

Restart your computer for changes to take effect.

Note: Some anti-cheat software and virtualization tools set this to "Off". You may need to disable or configure them.

Certain software can conflict with Hyper-V and Docker:

Common conflicts:
- VirtualBox (versions before 6.0): Update to 6.0+ or uninstall
- VMware Workstation (versions before 15.5.5): Update or uninstall
- Android emulators: Some disable Hyper-V on install
- Anti-cheat software: Games like Valorant's Vanguard can disable hypervisor
- Cygwin: Some configurations conflict with Docker

If you use VirtualBox:
VirtualBox 6.0+ can work alongside Hyper-V, but performance may be reduced. Consider using Docker's built-in virtualization instead.

After removing conflicting software:
1. Re-enable Hyper-V if it was disabled
2. Run bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype auto
3. Restart your computer

If Hyper-V is partially installed or corrupted, reinstall it:

Using PowerShell (as Administrator):

# Disable Hyper-V
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V-All

# Restart computer, then re-enable
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

# Also enable containers feature
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Containers -All

Using Windows Features GUI:
1. Open "Turn Windows features on or off"
2. Completely uncheck Hyper-V and all sub-components
3. Click OK and restart
4. Return and re-enable Hyper-V
5. Restart again

Docker Desktop has specific Windows version requirements:

Minimum requirements:
- Windows 10 64-bit: Version 22H2 (Build 19045) or higher
- Windows 11 64-bit: Version 23H2 (Build 22631) or higher
- Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education for Hyper-V
- Windows Home can use WSL 2 backend

Check your Windows version:

winver

If your Windows version is too old:
1. Run Windows Update to get the latest version
2. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update
3. Install all available updates

Windows Home users:
- You cannot use Hyper-V, only WSL 2
- Ensure Docker Desktop is configured for WSL 2 backend

If nothing else works, perform a clean reinstall:

Reset Docker Desktop:
1. Open Docker Desktop (if possible)
2. Go to Settings > Troubleshoot
3. Click "Reset to factory defaults"

Clean uninstall and reinstall:
1. Uninstall Docker Desktop from Windows Settings > Apps
2. Delete remaining Docker data:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:APPDATA\Docker" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Docker" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:PROGRAMDATA\Docker" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:PROGRAMDATA\DockerDesktop" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

3. Restart Windows
4. Download latest Docker Desktop from https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
5. Run installer and follow prompts
6. Restart when prompted