How to install Docker on Windows 11 with non-administrator access

Step 1 | Setup WSL2 backend

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run

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

   This will enable WSL for Windows 11
2. In the same terminal write

   dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all  
   

   This will enable the Virtual Machine Platform (a prerequisite for WSL2)
3. Restart your computer
4. Install the WSL2 Kernel update package from here
5. Open PowerShell as Administrator and run

   wsl --set-default-version 2  
   

Step 2 | Install Docker Desktop

1. Download and install Docker Desktop from here
   (Click the big blue button that says Docker Desktop for Windows)
2. Open the installer and follow the instructions
3. When prompted verify that Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V is selected
   (If you don't see the option it's either because your system doesn't support hyper-v
   or because you messed up step 1)
4. Follow the instructions on the wizard and wait for Docker Desktop to finish installing
5. After the installation is complete. Restart your computer
6. Open Docker Desktop and verify that it's running

Step 2.5 | (Optional) Allow docker to run without administrator privileges

let's say you need Docker Desktop, but you do not have administrator privileges on your computer. You can still use Docker Desktop by following these steps:

1. Get your system administrator to follow Step 1 and Step 2
2. Open a terminal as an administrator and run

   docker run hello-world  
   

   If all is well, you should see a hello-world message.
3. Open Computer Management as an administrator (type compmgmt.msc in the start menu and hit CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER)
4. Navigate to Local Users and Groups > Groups > docker-users and add your user to the group.
5. Restart your computer and open Docker Desktop. It should now work without administrator privileges.