Docker taking up space on your Mac: how to get it back

Why Docker takes so much space on a Mac

Containers need a Linux kernel, so Docker Desktop on a Mac runs them in a small virtual machine. That machine's disk is a single file. Docker's documentation puts it this way: Docker Desktop "stores Linux containers and images in a single, large 'disk image' file" (Docker Docs).

Everything lands in that one file:

• Images you've pulled or built, including old versions you no longer run
• Stopped containers, each with whatever it wrote to its filesystem
• Volumes, which is where databases and other containers keep data meant to last
• Build cache from docker build, which grows with every build

None of it goes away on its own. Delete files inside a running container and the disk image doesn't shrink: Docker's FAQ says space is freed only when images are deleted, not when files are deleted inside running containers.

…/Docker.raw

Docker disk image

Made by

Docker Desktop

What it is

The disk Docker Desktop's virtual machine uses for all your images, containers and volumes.

Does it come back?

Doesn't come back

Without it

Every container, image and volume would go with it, including data in volumes you haven't backed up.

How to manage it

Docker Desktop → Settings → Resources, or docker system prune

Where Docker.raw is, and why Finder shows the wrong size

By default the file is here:

~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/vms/0/data/Docker.raw

Docker Desktop, then Settings, then Resources, then Advanced shows the disk image location and lets you move it. Docker warns not to move the file in Finder, because Docker Desktop can lose track of it.

Finder and many other tools show the file's maximum size, not what it actually uses on disk. To see the real figure, Docker suggests:

ls -klsh ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/vms/0/data/Docker.raw

The first number is the space it really occupies. The size further along the line is the maximum. If you're comparing Docker against what macOS says is full, use the first number. When numbers don't agree, our guide to Mac storage that doesn't add up explains other common causes.

See what's using Docker's space

With Docker running:

docker system df

It shows how much space images, containers, local volumes and build cache use, and a RECLAIMABLE column with what pruning could free (Docker Docs). For a per-image and per-volume breakdown:

docker system df -v

Free up space with docker system prune

1. 1

   See what's using the space

   With Docker running, run docker system df in Terminal. The RECLAIMABLE column shows what pruning could free.

2. 2

   Prune what nothing uses

   Run docker system prune. It removes stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images and build cache, after asking you to confirm.

3. 3

   Remove unused images too

   If you're happy to pull or build images again, run docker system prune -a to remove every image no container uses.

4. 4

   Review volumes before pruning them

   Run docker volume ls and check what each volume holds. docker volume prune removes unused anonymous volumes; add -a to include named ones.

5. 5

   Give Docker a few minutes

   Docker Desktop returns the freed space to macOS after a short delay. Run docker system df again to confirm.

The commands, in order from gentlest to broadest:

docker system prune

docker system prune -a

The first removes stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images and build cache. The second also removes every image that no container uses. Both ask for confirmation first, and -f skips that (Docker Docs).

To clear only the build cache, which is often the largest part for people who build images all day:

docker builder prune

Pruning is permanent. Pruned images can be pulled or built again, but a stopped container's own changes are gone, and Docker has no Trash or undo for any of it.

Space comes back to macOS a little later. Docker's FAQ notes it "might take a few minutes to reclaim space on the host."

Prune by age to keep recent work

If you don't want to lose images and containers you made this week, add an age filter. The until filter takes durations such as 24h, measured from now, and only removes containers, images and networks created before then (Docker Docs):

docker system prune -a --filter "until=168h"

That removes unused images and stopped containers older than a week. Running it every so often keeps the disk image from creeping up without wiping out what you're working on. Build cache is the part that grows fastest for people who build images all day, and docker builder prune clears it on its own without touching images.

Volumes: the part to be careful with

Volumes hold data that's meant to outlive containers: a local Postgres database, uploaded files, a cache you spent an hour filling. That's why docker system prune leaves them alone unless you add --volumes, and even then it only removes anonymous volumes.

Look before you prune:

docker volume ls

docker volume prune

docker volume prune removes unused anonymous volumes. Adding -a also removes named volumes that no container uses (Docker Docs). A named volume for a database you stopped last week counts as unused. If it matters, back it up or start its container before pruning.

Can you delete Docker.raw?

Deleting Docker.raw removes every image, container and volume at once. If that's what you want, use Docker Desktop's own reset rather than Finder: open Troubleshoot from the Docker menu and choose Clean up data. Docker describes it as a disk image reset that "destroys all Docker containers and images local to the machine, preserving all settings" (Docker Docs).

The disk limit in Docker Desktop, then Settings, then Resources, then Advanced sets the most space the disk image can use. Lowering it isn't a way to shrink a full image: Docker's FAQ warns that reducing the maximum size deletes the current disk image file, with everything in it.

To shrink Docker.raw without losing data, prune and wait. The file's real size drops as Docker hands the freed space back.

OrbStack and Colima

If you use OrbStack or Colima instead of Docker Desktop, the same docker commands work, because both provide the Docker engine. The disk image lives elsewhere and is managed a little differently.

• OrbStack keeps its data in ~/.orbstack. Its documentation says disk usage "increases and decreases as needed" (OrbStack Docs), so space you prune comes back to macOS.
• Colima keeps its virtual machines under ~/.colima. Its FAQ says space freed with docker system prune is released when Colima starts, from version 0.5.0 on, so run colima stop and colima start after pruning. colima delete --data removes all container data (Colima FAQ).

Removing Docker completely

If you don't use Docker anymore, uninstall it with its own uninstaller, which removes the disk image too. In Docker Desktop, open Troubleshoot and choose Uninstall, or run:

/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/uninstall

Then move Docker.app to the Trash. Docker's documentation lists two leftovers to remove yourself: ~/Library/Group Containers/group.com.docker and ~/.docker (Docker Docs). Uninstalling destroys all local images, containers and volumes, so back up any volume you need first. For other apps, see how to uninstall apps completely.

What's safe to remove, and what isn't

Safe, with Docker's own commands:

• Dangling images and build cache (docker system prune)
• Images no container uses (docker system prune -a). You'll pull or build them again when needed.
• Stopped containers you don't need

Check first:

• Volumes. They can be the only copy of a database or uploads.
• Stopped containers you might restart. Their changes are lost when pruned.

Don't:

• Delete or move Docker.raw in Finder
• Lower the disk limit to "shrink" it, which deletes the disk image
• Delete files inside ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker by hand

How MacClearings handles Docker

MacClearings shows Docker's disk image and stops there. Its Docker rule is report-only: it lists the size of Docker Desktop's disk image, and of OrbStack's and Colima's if you use them, and never stages them for the Trash.

Suggestions rule · Docker

Docker disk image

Docker keeps images, containers and volumes in one disk image. MacClearings only reports its size. Use Docker's own prune command to reclaim space safely.

• ~/Library/Containers/com.docker.docker/Data/vms/0/data
• ~/.orbstack/data
• ~/.colima/_lima

Reported only. MacClearings shows the size and never moves it.

The reason is the same one this guide keeps coming back to. One file holds every image, container and volume. Moving it to the Trash would take all of them at once, including volumes that might be your only copy of something. Docker's own commands know which images and containers are in use, so the rule links to Docker's prune documentation instead of offering a checkbox. Don't move Docker.raw yourself either.

Elsewhere in MacClearings, Breakdown lists Docker Desktop's data among app containers in your Library, with a note to manage it in Docker Desktop. The Map's inspector explains Docker.raw, OrbStack's and Colima's folders with the field guide entries quoted above.

Everything MacClearings can move, like package manager caches or old project build folders, goes to the Trash only after you review it, and every cleanup can be undone from History. MacClearings never empties the Trash, so that space comes back when you empty it. The developer page lists every developer rule, including this one.