docs/desktop/nested-virtualization.md

description	keywords	title
Instructions on how to enable nested virtualization	nested virtualization, Docker Desktop	Enable nested virtualization

Note

This is work in progress. The steps haven’t been validated yet in our test environment. {: .important}

In general, Docker recommends running Docker Desktop natively on either Mac, Linux, or Windows. However, Docker Desktop can run inside a virtual desktop provided the virtual desktop is properly configured.

To run Docker Desktop in a virtual desktop environment, it is essential nested virtualization is enabled on the virtual machine that provides the virtual desktop. This is because, under the hood, Docker Desktop is using a Linux VM in which it runs Docker Engine and the containers.

Nested virtualization support

Note

Nested virtualization support is only available to Docker Business customers.

The support available from Docker extends to installing and running Docker Desktop inside the VM, once the nested virtualization is set up correctly. For more information on Docker Desktop support, see Get support.

For troubleshooting problems and intermittent failures that are outside of Docker's control, you should contact your hypervisor vendor. Each hypervisor vendor offers different levels of support. For example, Microsoft supports running nested Hyper-V both on-prem and on Azure, with some version constraints. This may not be the case for VMWare ESXi or Citrix Hypervisor.

Enable nested virtualization

You must enable nested virtualization before you install Docker Desktop on a virtual machine.

Enable nested virtualization on VMware ESXi

Nested virtualization of other hypervisors like Hyper-V inside a vSphere VM is not a supported scenario. However, running Hyper-V VM in a VMware ESXi VM is technically possible and, depending on the version, ESXi includes hardware-assisted virtualization as a supported feature.

For steps on how to expose hardware-assisted virtualization to the guest OS, see VMware's documentation.

You may also need to configure some network settings.

Enable nested virtualization on Microsoft Hyper-V

Nested virtualization is supported by Microsoft for running Hyper-V inside a VM running on a Hyper-V host, in Azure or on-prem (Hyper-V on Hyper-V).

For Azure virtual machines, check that the VM size chosen supports nested virtualization. Microsoft provides a helpful list on Azure VM sizes and highlights the sizes that currently support nested virtualization. For internal testing, we used D4s_v5 machines. We recommend this specification or above for optimal performance of Docker Desktop.

For on-prem virtual machines, check the constraints on the host VM operating system and follow the steps documented by Microsoft.

Enable nested virtualization on Citrix Hypervisor

Nested virtualization on Citrix Hypervisor is unsupported in production scenarios. However, running a VM inside a Citrix Hypervisor VM is possible. In fact, Docker Desktop is currently being used in Virtual Desktop Environments where Citrix is the host hypervisor.

Steps on enabling nested virtualization can be found in Citrix's documentation. It contains instructions for the only scenario where nested virtualization is supported by Citrix which is to support Bromium’s Secure Platform solution.

Note

Nested virtualization is only available for Citrix Hypervisor Premium Edition customers or those customers who have access to Citrix Hypervisor through their Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop entitlement.