What is Docker Desktop on Mac?
By Junaid, maker of Taskglass · Last reviewed
Docker's app for running containers on a Mac inside a lightweight Linux virtual machine.
Docker Desktop runs containers on your Mac by starting a Linux virtual machine in the background. The Docker Desktop window and its helpers are the dashboard; the real work happens in background processes such as com.docker.backend and the VM process. Docker notes that Activity Monitor can over-report its memory, so the VM's memory figure may look higher than what's actually in use.
- Category
- Developer tools
- Made by
- Docker Inc.
- Safe to quit:
- Yes
Shown in Activity Monitor as Docker Desktop, Docker, Docker Desktop Helper, Docker Desktop Helper (Renderer), Docker Desktop Helper (GPU), Docker Desktop Helper (Plugin)
Why is Docker Desktop using so much CPU or memory?
- Containers running heavy workloads (databases, builds)
- File sharing between macOS and containers in large projects
- Building images
- A large memory allowance set for the VM
What to do
- 1Stop containers you don't need ('docker ps' lists running ones)
- 2Lower CPU and memory limits in Docker Desktop > Settings > Resources
- 3Quit Docker Desktop from its menu bar icon when you're not using it
- 4Update Docker Desktop
Safe to quit? Yes.
Quitting from the Docker menu stops all running containers.
Related processes
- com.docker.backendDocker Desktop's main background service that manages the VM, networking and file sharing.
- com.docker.virtualizationRuns Docker Desktop's Linux virtual machine, where your containers actually live.
- Virtualization.framework VMA virtual machine run by Apple's Virtualization framework for apps like Docker, UTM or OrbStack.
- com.docker.vmnetdDocker Desktop's privileged networking helper.
Part of the Taskglass Process Library