Virtual Desktop Support, Mac Permission Changes, & New Extensions in Docker Desktop 4.11

Docker Desktop 4.11 is now live! With this release, we added some highly-requested features designed to help make developers’ lives easier and help security-minded organizations breathe easier.

Run Docker Desktop for Windows in Virtual Desktop Environments

Docker Desktop for Windows is officially supported on VMware ESXi and Azure Windows VMs for our Docker Business subscribers. Now you can use Docker Desktop on your virtual environments and get the same experience as running it natively on Windows, Mac, or Linux machines.

Currently, we support virtual environments where the host hypervisors are VMware ESXi or Windows Hyper-V — both on-premises and in the cloud. Citrix Hypervisor support is also coming soon. As a Docker Business subscriber, you’ll receive dedicated support for running Docker Desktop in your virtual environments.

To learn more about running Docker Desktop for Windows in a virtual environment, please visit our documentation.

Changes to permission requirements on Docker Desktop for Mac

The first time you run Docker Desktop for Mac, you have to authenticate as root in order to install a privileged helper process. This process is needed to perform a limited set of privileged operations and runs in the background on the host machine while Docker Desktop is running.

In Docker Desktop v4.11, you don’t have to run this privilege helper service at all. Use the —user flag in the install command to set everything up in advance. Docker Desktop will then run without needing root on the Mac.

For more details on Docker Desktop for Mac’s permission requirements, check out our documentation.

New Extensions in the Marketplace

We’re excited to announce the addition of two new extensions to the Extensions Marketplace:

• vcluster  – Create and manage virtual Kubernetes clusters using vcluster. Learn more about vcluster here.
• PGAdmin4 – Quickly admin and monitor PostgreSQL databases with PGAdmin4 tools. Learn more about PGAdmin here.

Customize your Docker Desktop Theme

Prefer dark mode on the Docker Dashboard? With 4.11 you can now customize your preference or have it respect your system settings. Go to settings in the upper right corner to try it for yourself.

Fixing the Frequency of Docker Desktop Feedback Prompts

Thanks to all your feedback, we identified a bug that was asking some users for feedback too frequently. Docker Desktop should now only request your feedback twice a year.

As we outlined here, you’ll be asked for feedback 30 days after the product is installed. You can choose to give feedback or decline. You then won’t be asked for a rating again for 180 days.

These scores help us understand user experience trends so we can keep improving Docker Desktop — and your comments have helped us make changes like this. Thanks for helping us fix this for everyone!

Have any feedback for us?

Upvote, comment, or submit new ideas via either our in-product links or our public roadmap. Check out our release notes to learn more about Docker Desktop 4.11.

Looking to become a new Docker Desktop user? Visit our Get Started page to jumpstart your development journey.