Run VMWare and Docker on the same computer

Posted by John Liu on Sunday, July 25, 2021

You can install VMWare Workstation (v15.4 or earlier) and Docker on the same computer, but they can’t be run at the same time due to VMWare and Hyper-V can’t be run at the same time. Docker depends on Hyper-V.

To run VMWare Workstation, turn off Windows features “Virtual Macine Platfrorm” and “Microsoft-Hyper-V-All” and then restart computer.

PS C:\> Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Microsoft-Hyper-V-All" -NoRestart
PS C:\> Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "VirtualMachinePlatform"

To run Docker, turn on Windows feature “Virtual Macine Platfrorm” and “Microsoft-Hyper-V-All” and then restart computer.

PS C:\> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Microsoft-Hyper-V-All" -All -LimitAccess -NoRestart
PS C:\> Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "VirtualMachinePlatform" -All -LimitAccess

VMWare Workstation 15.5+ can running side by side with Docker without need to turn off the “Virtual Machine Platform” feature.