Troubleshooting Docker Issues

Docker Not Detected

Symptom: The Dermi Atlas Manager requirements check shows the Docker row as Not detected, with the message that the Docker client is not available.

Solutions:

1. Is it running? Check for the Docker whale icon in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS).
2. Install/Reinstall: Ensure Docker is installed and running. On Windows and macOS, install Docker Desktop. On Linux, install Docker Engine. For step-by-step instructions, see Installing Docker for Dermi Atlas Professional.
3. Linux Permissions: Ensure the user account is in the docker group (sudo usermod -aG docker $USER).
4. Minimum version: Dermi Atlas Professional requires Docker version 28.0.0 or newer. If the requirements check reports that the installed version is too old, upgrade Docker and re-run the check.
5. Re-check: After installing or starting Docker, return to the requirements check and click Refresh.

Docker Desktop Will Not Start

Symptom: Docker hangs on "Starting..."

Solutions:

1. Restart: Quit Docker Desktop fully and reopen.
2. Windows WSL: Run wsl --shutdown in PowerShell (Admin) and restart Docker.
3. Reset: Use the "Reset to factory defaults" option in Docker Troubleshoot settings (Warning: Deletes data).

Insufficient Resources

Symptom: Dermi Atlas Professional runs slowly or crashes.

Solution:

1. On macOS and Windows, open Docker Desktop and go to Settings => Resources. On Linux with Docker Engine, there is no Docker Desktop UI, so ensure the host itself has sufficient free RAM and disk.
2. Increase Memory to at least the 4GB minimum, and 8GB or more is recommended.
3. On macOS and Windows, ensure the Docker Desktop virtual disk image has at least the platform minimum of 20GB free, with extra headroom such as 32GB or 64GB.
4. On macOS and Windows, click Apply & restart.

The System Memory requirements check reflects total host RAM, not the Docker Desktop allocation. Increasing the Docker Desktop memory allocation affects runtime performance but does not change what the check reports. For full requirements, see System Requirements for Dermi Atlas.

Image alignment features are particularly sensitive to low memory allocation. If alignment is slow or unresponsive, increasing Docker memory to 8GB or more is recommended.