How to fix Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found in Docker

DockerBEGINNERLOWUpdated Dec 6, 2025· 121 views

The Docker "network not found" error occurs when you try to connect a container to a network that does not exist or has been deleted. This is typically resolved by creating the missing network or recreating your containers with the correct network configuration.

Quick fix

Fixes Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found

docker network ls
  1. List existing Docker networks
  2. Create the missing network
  3. Use docker-compose to recreate networks
  4. Force recreate containers and networks
docker — error
docker network ls
Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found

What this error means

This error indicates that Docker cannot locate the specified network when attempting to start a container or connect it to a network. The Docker daemon maintains a list of available networks, and when you reference a network by name or ID that isn't in this list, the operation fails. This commonly happens after a Docker restart when networks were created by docker-compose but the containers referencing them are trying to start before the networks are recreated. It can also occur if someone manually deleted a network that containers still depend on, or if there's a typo in the network name.

Typical symptoms

  • Container fails to start with "network not found" message
  • docker-compose up fails after Docker daemon restart
  • Previously working containers suddenly cannot connect to their network
  • docker run --network=mynetwork fails even though containers used this network before
  • Docker stack deploy fails with network errors

Common causes

  1. The network was never created in the first place
  2. The network was deleted manually or by docker network prune
  3. Docker daemon was restarted and networks need to be recreated
  4. Typo in the network name in docker run or docker-compose.yml
  5. Orphaned containers from previous docker-compose runs are referencing old networks
  6. Network marked as external in compose file but not created externally
  7. VPN software interfering with Docker networking

How to fix "Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found"

1List existing Docker networks

First, check which networks currently exist to see if your network is missing:

bash
docker network ls

Look for your network name in the output. If it's not listed, you'll need to create it.

2Create the missing network

If the network doesn't exist, create it manually:

bash
docker network create mynetwork

For bridge networks with custom configuration:

bash
docker network create --driver bridge --subnet 172.28.0.0/16 mynetwork
3Use docker-compose to recreate networks

If you're using docker-compose, run with flags to recreate networks and remove orphaned containers:

bash
docker-compose down --remove-orphans
docker-compose up -d

The --remove-orphans flag cleans up containers from previous runs that may be referencing deleted networks.

4Force recreate containers and networks

For persistent issues, force Docker to recreate everything:

bash
docker-compose up --force-recreate --remove-orphans

This rebuilds all containers and their network connections from scratch.

5Check for external network configuration

If your docker-compose.yml declares a network as external, you must create it manually before running compose:

yaml
# docker-compose.yml
networks:
  mynetwork:
    external: true

Create the external network first:

bash
docker network create mynetwork
docker-compose up -d
6Clean up and restart Docker (last resort)

If other steps fail, perform a system cleanup:

bash
docker-compose down
docker system prune
docker-compose up -d

Warning: docker system prune removes all unused containers, networks, and dangling images. Use docker system prune -a to also remove unused images.

If issues persist, restart the Docker daemon:

bash
sudo systemctl restart docker

Advanced notes

VPN Interference: Some VPN software (like Cisco AnyConnect) can interfere with Docker networking. If you experience persistent network issues, try disconnecting from VPN and resetting Docker to factory settings in Docker Desktop.

Swarm Mode Networks: When using Docker Swarm, networks created for stack services are scoped to the swarm. If you're moving between standalone and swarm mode, networks may not be visible in both contexts. Use docker network ls --filter driver=overlay to see swarm networks.

Network ID vs Name: Docker internally tracks networks by ID. If you see an error referencing a long hash like network 7808732465bd529e6f20e4071115218b..., this is a stale reference to a deleted network. The solution is the same: recreate containers so they get fresh network connections.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found" mean?
This error indicates that Docker cannot locate the specified network when attempting to start a container or connect it to a network. The Docker daemon maintains a list of available networks, and when you reference a network by name or ID that isn't in this list, the operation fails. This commonly happens after a Docker restart when networks were created by docker-compose but the containers referencing them are trying to start before the networks are recreated.
How do I fix "Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found"?
The Docker "network not found" error occurs when you try to connect a container to a network that does not exist or has been deleted. This is typically resolved by creating the missing network or recreating your containers with the correct network configuration.
What causes "Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found"?
The network was never created in the first place The network was deleted manually or by docker network prune Docker daemon was restarted and networks need to be recreated
Is the "Error response from daemon: network mynetwork not found" error serious?
It is a low-severity error — more of a blocker than a risk. The steps above resolve it.

Official resources & further reading