How to fix Error response from daemon: failed to start: operating system: not supported in Docker

First, diagnose the current state of Docker:

# Check if Docker daemon is responding
docker info

# Check Docker version and OS type
docker version --format '{{.Server.Os}}'

# On Windows, check current container mode
docker info | findstr "OSType"

If Docker info fails completely, Docker Desktop may not be starting properly. Check the Docker Desktop logs:

# View Docker Desktop logs on Windows
Get-Content "$env:APPDATA\Docker\log.txt" -Tail 50

This will help identify whether the issue is with Docker startup or container creation.

The most common cause of this error on Windows is an outdated WSL 2 kernel. Update it:

# Run PowerShell as Administrator
wsl --update

# Check WSL status
wsl --status

# Set WSL 2 as default version
wsl --set-default-version 2

# Restart WSL
wsl --shutdown

If WSL is not installed at all:

# Install WSL with default Ubuntu distribution
wsl --install

# Restart your computer after installation
Restart-Computer

After updating WSL, restart Docker Desktop and try again.

Enable the required Windows features for Docker:

# Run PowerShell as Administrator
# Enable Hyper-V (Pro/Enterprise/Education only)
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Microsoft-Hyper-V -All

# Enable Containers feature
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName Containers -All

# Enable Virtual Machine Platform (required for WSL 2)
Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName VirtualMachinePlatform -All

# Restart computer to apply changes
Restart-Computer

Note: Windows Home edition does not support Hyper-V. Use WSL 2 backend instead:

1. Open Docker Desktop Settings
2. Go to General
3. Ensure "Use the WSL 2 based engine" is checked
4. Click Apply & Restart

Docker requires hardware virtualization support. Check if it's enabled:

# Check virtualization status
systeminfo | findstr /i "virtualization"

# Or use PowerShell
Get-ComputerInfo | Select-Object HyperVisorPresent, HyperVRequirementVirtualizationFirmwareEnabled

If virtualization is disabled, enable it in BIOS/UEFI:

1. Restart your computer
2. Press the BIOS key during startup (usually F2, F10, F12, DEL, or ESC)
3. Navigate to CPU or Advanced settings
4. Enable Intel VT-x (Intel) or AMD-V (AMD)
5. Enable Intel VT-d or AMD IOMMU if available
6. Save and exit BIOS

After enabling, boot into Windows and verify:

# Should show "Virtualization Enabled In Firmware: Yes"
systeminfo | findstr /i "virtualization"

If you're running the wrong container type, switch modes:

Using Docker Desktop GUI:
1. Right-click the Docker whale icon in the system tray
2. Select "Switch to Linux containers..." or "Switch to Windows containers..."
3. Wait for Docker to restart

Using command line:

# Toggle between Linux and Windows containers
& "C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\DockerCli.exe" -SwitchDaemon

# Verify current mode
docker info | findstr "OSType"

If the switch option is missing from the menu:
- Update Docker Desktop to the latest version
- Ensure Hyper-V is enabled (for Windows containers)
- Restart Docker Desktop

Some antivirus software can block Docker's virtualization components:

Temporary test:
1. Temporarily disable your antivirus
2. Try starting Docker Desktop
3. If it works, add Docker to your antivirus exclusions

Add exclusions for Docker paths:
- C:\Program Files\Docker
- C:\ProgramData\Docker
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Docker
- C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Docker
- %LOCALAPPDATA%\Docker\wsl

Known conflicting software:
- Some versions of Kaspersky, McAfee, and Norton
- VMware Workstation (can conflict with Hyper-V)
- VirtualBox (older versions conflict with Hyper-V)
- Android emulators that disable Hyper-V

If other solutions haven't worked, try resetting Docker Desktop:

Soft reset (preserves data):
1. Open Docker Desktop
2. Go to Settings > Troubleshoot
3. Click "Restart Docker Desktop"

Factory reset (removes all data):
1. Open Docker Desktop
2. Go to Settings > Troubleshoot
3. Click "Reset to factory defaults"
4. Confirm the reset

Manual cleanup and reinstall:

# Stop Docker processes
Stop-Process -Name "Docker Desktop" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
Stop-Process -Name "com.docker.backend" -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Uninstall Docker Desktop (use Settings > Apps or)
# Download and run the installer with /uninstall flag

# Remove Docker data directories
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

# Restart computer
Restart-Computer

# Reinstall Docker Desktop from docker.com

On some Windows systems, the vmcompute service needs to be configured:

# Check vmcompute service status
Get-Service vmcompute

# Start the service if stopped
net start vmcompute

# If the service fails, check Windows Security settings

Disable CFG for vmcompute (advanced):

1. Open Windows Security
2. Go to "App & Browser control"
3. Click "Exploit protection settings"
4. Switch to "Program settings" tab
5. Find C:\WINDOWS\System32\vmcompute.exe
6. Click Edit
7. Scroll to "Code flow guard (CFG)"
8. Uncheck "Override system settings"
9. Restart vmcompute: net start vmcompute

Then restart Docker Desktop.