How to Move Docker Images to Another Drive in Windows: A Step-by-Step Guide


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When working with Docker on Windows, you might encounter storage limitations on your primary drive (usually C:). Docker stores images, containers, and other data in its default directory, which can quickly consume disk space. Moving these files to another drive is a common solution.

Many users try to use the dockerd command with the --data-root parameter, but this often fails because:

  • Docker Desktop for Windows doesn't expose the dockerd configuration directly
  • The Windows version uses a different architecture than Linux-based Docker
  • Recent Docker versions have changed their configuration approach

Here's how to properly move Docker's storage location in Windows 10/11:

1. Stop Docker Desktop

Right-click the Docker icon in the system tray and select "Quit Docker Desktop".

2. Locate Docker Data

Docker typically stores data in:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Docker

3. Move the Data

Copy the entire Docker folder to your new location, for example:

robocopy "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Docker" "E:\DockerData" /MIR

4. Create a Symbolic Link

Create a junction point to redirect Docker to the new location:

mklink /J "%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Docker" "E:\DockerData"

5. Verify the Setup

Restart Docker Desktop and run:

docker info | find "Docker Root Dir"

This should show your new location.

If you're using WSL 2 backend (recommended for Windows):

  1. Export your WSL distribution:
    2. wsl --export docker-desktop "E:\wsl\docker-desktop.tar"
  2. Unregister the old distribution:
    3. wsl --unregister docker-desktop
  3. Import to new location:
    4. wsl --import docker-desktop "E:\wsl\docker-desktop" "E:\wsl\docker-desktop.tar" --version 2
  • Ensure Docker Desktop is completely stopped before moving files
  • Run commands in an elevated Command Prompt (as Administrator)
  • Check disk permissions on the target drive
  • For large images, the copy process might take significant time

For frequent moves or team setups, consider this PowerShell script:

# Stop Docker
Stop-Process -Name "Docker Desktop" -Force

# Set paths
$source = "$env:USERPROFILE\AppData\Local\Docker"
$dest = "E:\DockerData"

# Copy files
robocopy $source $dest /MIR

# Create junction
Remove-Item $source -Force
New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path $source -Target $dest

# Restart Docker
Start-Process "$env:ProgramFiles\Docker\Docker\Docker Desktop.exe"

When Docker Desktop is first installed on Windows, it defaults to storing images and containers in the C:\ProgramData\Docker directory. For many developers, especially those with limited SSD space on their system drive, this becomes problematic as Docker images accumulate.

For modern versions of Docker Desktop (2.1.0+), Microsoft provides a built-in way to change the storage location:


1. Right-click the Docker whale icon in the system tray
2. Select "Settings" → "Resources" → "Advanced"
3. Change the "Disk image location" to your desired path (e.g., E:\docker)
4. Click "Apply & Restart"

For older Docker versions or when you need more control, creating a symbolic link is the most reliable approach:


# First, stop Docker completely
Stop-Service docker
Stop-Service com.docker.service

# Move existing Docker data (run as Administrator)
robocopy /MIR C:\ProgramData\Docker E:\DockerData

# Remove original folder and create symbolic link
rmdir /S /Q C:\ProgramData\Docker
mklink /J C:\ProgramData\Docker E:\DockerData

# Restart Docker services
Start-Service docker
Start-Service com.docker.service

After completing either method, verify the new storage location:


docker info | grep "Docker Root Dir"

Or on Windows PowerShell:


(docker info --format "{{.DockerRootDir}}")

For WSL 2 backend users, Docker stores images in a virtual HDD. You can move this file:


1. Export your WSL distribution: wsl --export docker-desktop E:\wsl\docker-desktop.tar
2. Unregister the distribution: wsl --unregister docker-desktop
3. Import to new location: wsl --import docker-desktop E:\wsl\ E:\wsl\docker-desktop.tar --version 2
4. Restart Docker Desktop

Permission problems: Always run commands as Administrator when modifying system directories.

Service won't start: Check Docker logs at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Docker\log\dockerd.log


Get-Content "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Docker\log\dockerd.log" -Wait

Symbolic link not working: Ensure you used /J parameter for directory junctions in Windows.

When moving Docker storage to a secondary drive:

  • SSD will always outperform HDD for Docker operations
  • NTFS is required - don't use FAT32 or exFAT drives
  • Network drives are not supported