How to Install Docker Desktop on Ubuntu (Step-by-Step Guide That Works)

If you’ve tried to install Docker Desktop on Ubuntu, you’ve probably realized something:
The official Docker documentation is a bit confusing.

I learnt this the hard way. After following their steps, I ran into missing dependencies, systemd service issues, and Docker Desktop refusing to launch.

If you’re stuck, save yourself the frustration and follow this process instead.

If you're looking for a short video tutorial, you can check out my 👉️ YouTube channel.

Install Docker Desktop on Ubuntu (Step-by-Step)

1. Install using the Apt repository

Just copy everything and paste in the terminal.

# Add Docker's official GPG key:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add the repository to Apt sources:
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update

2. Download Docker Desktop

Previously you had to mention the version number, but now every upcoming desktop package is referred to as desktop-amd64.deb for the Debian-based systems. It might change in the future; if it doesn’t work, comment on it below, and I will update the code.

# download docker desktop
wget https://desktop.docker.com/linux/main/amd64/docker-desktop-amd64.deb

3. Install Docker Desktop

# Install Docker Desktop from the downloaded .deb file
sudo dpkg -i docker-desktop-amd64.deb

# Check that Docker is installed and running by displaying Docker version info
docker version

4. Troubleshooting

If you receive the error or didn’t get the Docker version, follow these steps.

# If you get an error do this command if not just skip it
sudo apt --fix-broken install

# Install Docker Desktop from the downloaded .deb file
sudo dpkg -i docker-desktop-amd64.deb

# Check that Docker is installed and running by displaying Docker version info
docker version

Does Docker Desktop Include Docker Compose?

Yes—Docker Desktop comes with Docker Compose v2 pre-installed as a Docker CLI plugin.

You can check it by running:

# Check docker compose version
docker compose version

Why Use Docker Desktop on Ubuntu?

If you’re comfortable with Docker’s command-line interface, you may not need Docker Desktop. But if you want

• A graphical interface to manage containers and images

• Built-in Kubernetes integration

• Docker Compose pre-installed

…then Docker Desktop is worth installing.

Final Thoughts

Installing Docker Desktop on Ubuntu is possible, but it takes more than the standard installation guide. By following the steps above, you’ll save yourself time troubleshooting missing services and dependencies.

I wrote this guide after testing these steps and getting them to work on my own system. Hopefully, it saves you the same hassle I went through.

Feel free to share this guide or drop a comment if you have questions!