How to fix Error response from daemon: invalid volume specification in Docker

The volume specification must have the format source:destination or source:destination:options.

Incorrect:

docker run -v $(pwd)opt/data myimage

Correct:

docker run -v $(pwd):/opt/data myimage

Ensure there's a colon (:) separating the host path from the container path.

Docker requires absolute paths for bind mounts. Use $(pwd) or ${PWD} to get the current directory.

Incorrect:

docker run -v ./data:/app/data myimage

Correct:

docker run -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data myimage

Note: Use $(pwd) with parentheses, not ${pwd} with curly braces.

If your volume path uses environment variables, ensure they're defined.

Check if variable is set:

echo $MY_DATA_PATH

In docker-compose.yml, provide a default:

volumes:
  - ${MY_DATA_PATH:-./default-data}:/app/data

If the variable is empty, you'll see an error like invalid volume specification: ':/app/data' (notice the empty source).

On Windows with Docker Desktop, path formats can be tricky.

Option 1: Set COMPOSE_CONVERT_WINDOWS_PATHS

set COMPOSE_CONVERT_WINDOWS_PATHS=1

Or add to .env file:

COMPOSE_CONVERT_WINDOWS_PATHS=1

Option 2: Use forward slashes

volumes:
  - /c/Users/myuser/data:/app/data

Option 3: Use Windows-style paths in Git Bash

docker run -v //c/Users/myuser/data:/app/data myimage

Spaces in the volume string cause parsing errors.

Incorrect (note the space after colon):

volumes:
  - ./data: /app/data

Correct:

volumes:
  - ./data:/app/data

Check for trailing spaces and spaces around colons.

The container destination path must be absolute (start with /).

Incorrect:

docker run -v $(pwd):/data:app/data myimage

Correct:

docker run -v $(pwd)/data:/app/data myimage

Verify Docker volumes work with a basic command:

docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/test alpine ls /test

If this works, the issue is in your specific volume specification. Compare your failing command against this working example.