Ways to enforce sign-in for Docker Desktop

This page outlines the different methods for enforcing sign-in for Docker Desktop.

Registry key method (Windows only)

Note

The registry key method is available with Docker Desktop version 4.32 and later.

To enforce sign-in for Docker Desktop on Windows, you can configure a registry key that specifies your organization's allowed users. The following steps guide you through creating and deploying the registry key to enforce this policy:

1. Create the registry key. Your new key should look like the following:

   $ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Docker\Docker Desktop
   

2. Create a multi-string value allowedOrgs.

   Important

   As of Docker Desktop version 4.36 and later, you can add more than one organization. With Docker Desktop version 4.35 and earlier, if you add more than one organization sign-in enforcement silently fails.

3. Use your organization's name, all lowercase as string data.

4. Restart Docker Desktop.

5. When Docker Desktop restarts, verify that the Sign in required! prompt appears.

In some cases, a system reboot may be necessary for enforcement to take effect.

Note

If a registry key and a registry.json file both exist, the registry key takes precedence.

Example deployment via Group Policy

The following example outlines how to deploy a registry key to enforce sign-in on Docker Desktop using Group Policy. There are multiple ways to deploy this configuration depending on your organization's infrastructure, security policies, and management tools.

1. Create the registry script. Write a script to create the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Docker\Docker Desktop key, add the allowedOrgs multi-string, and then set the value to your organization’s name.
2. Within Group Policy, create or edit a Group Policy Objective (GPO) that applies to the machines or users you want to target.
3. Within the GPO, navigate to Computer Configuration and select Preferences.
4. Select Windows Settings then Registry.
5. To add the registry item, right-click on the Registry node, select New, and then Registry Item.
6. Configure the new registry item to match the registry script you created, specifying the action as Update. Make sure you input the correct path, value name (allowedOrgs), and value data (your organization names).
7. Link the GPO to an Organizational Unit (OU) that contains the machines you want to apply this setting to.
8. Test the GPO on a small set of machines first to ensure it behaves as expected. You can use the gpupdate /force command on a test machine to manually refresh its group policy settings and check the registry to confirm the changes.
9. Once verified, you can proceed with broader deployment. Monitor the deployment to ensure the settings are applied correctly across the organization's computers.

Configuration profiles method (Mac only)

Note

The configuration profiles method is in Early Access and is available with Docker Desktop version 4.36 and later.

Configuration profiles are a feature of macOS that let you distribute configuration information to the Macs you manage. It is the safest method to enforce sign-in on macOS because the installed configuration profiles are protected by Apples' System Integrity Protection (SIP) and therefore can't be tampered with by the users.

1. Save the following XML file with the extension .mobileconfig, for example docker.mobileconfig:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
    <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
    <plist version="1.0">
      <dict>
        <key>PayloadContent</key>
        <array>
          <dict>
            <key>PayloadType</key>
            <string>com.docker.config</string>
            <key>PayloadVersion</key>
            <integer>1</integer>
            <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
            <string>com.docker.config</string>
            <key>PayloadUUID</key>
            <string>eed295b0-a650-40b0-9dda-90efb12be3c7</string>
            <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
            <string>Docker Desktop Configuration</string>
            <key>PayloadDescription</key>
            <string>Configuration profile to manage Docker Desktop settings.</string>
            <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
            <string>Your Company Name</string>
            <key>allowedOrgs</key>
            <string>first_org;second_org</string>
          </dict>
        </array>
        <key>PayloadType</key>
        <string>Configuration</string>
        <key>PayloadVersion</key>
        <integer>1</integer>
        <key>PayloadIdentifier</key>
        <string>com.yourcompany.docker.config</string>
        <key>PayloadUUID</key>
        <string>0deedb64-7dc9-46e5-b6bf-69d64a9561ce</string>
        <key>PayloadDisplayName</key>
        <string>Docker Desktop Config Profile</string>
        <key>PayloadDescription</key>
        <string>Config profile to enforce Docker Desktop settings for allowed organizations.</string>
        <key>PayloadOrganization</key>
        <string>Your Company Name</string>
      </dict>
    </plist>

2. Change the placeholders com.yourcompany.docker.config and Your Company Name to the name of your company.

3. Add your organization name. The names of the allowed organizations are stored in the allowedOrgs property. It can contain either the name of a single organization or a list of organization names, separated by a semicolon:

            <key>allowedOrgs</key>
            <string>first_org;second_org</string>

4. Use a MDM solution to distribute your modified .mobileconfig file to your macOS clients.

plist method (Mac only)

Note

The plist method is available with Docker Desktop version 4.32 and later.

To enforce sign-in for Docker Desktop on macOS, you can use a plist file that defines the required settings. The following steps guide you through the process of creating and deploying the necessary plist file to enforce this policy:

1. Create the file /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/desktop.plist.

2. Open desktop.plist in a text editor and add the following content, where myorg is replaced with your organization’s name all lowercase:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
   <plist version="1.0">
     <dict>
         <key>allowedOrgs</key>
         <array>
             <string>myorg1</string>
             <string>myorg2</string>
         </array>
     </dict>
   </plist>

   Important

   As of Docker Desktop version 4.36 and later, you can add more than one organization. With Docker Desktop version 4.35 and earlier, sign-in enforcement silently fails if you add more than one organization.

3. Modify the file permissions to ensure the file cannot be edited by any non-administrator users.

4. Restart Docker Desktop.

5. When Docker Desktop restarts, verify that the Sign in required! prompt appears.

Note

If a plist and registry.json file both exist, the plist file takes precedence.

Example deployment

The following example outlines how to create and distribute the plist file to enforce sign-in on Docker Desktop. There are multiple ways to deploy this configuration depending on your organization's infrastructure, security policies, and management tools.

registry.json method (All)

The following instructions explain how to create and deploy a registry.json file to a single device. There are many ways to deploy the registry.json file. You can follow the example deployments outlined in the .plist file section. The method you choose is dependent on your organization's infrastructure, security policies, and the administrative rights of the end-users.

Option 1: Create a registry.json file to enforce sign-in

1. Ensure the user is a member of your organization in Docker. For more details, see Manage members.

2. Create the registry.json file.

   Based on the user's operating system, create a file named registry.json at the following location and make sure the file can't be edited by the user.

   Platform	Location
   Windows	/ProgramData/DockerDesktop/registry.json
   Mac	/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json
   Linux	/usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json

3. Specify your organization in the registry.json file.

   Open the registry.json file in a text editor and add the following contents, where myorg is replaced with your organization’s name. The file contents are case-sensitive and you must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

   {
   "allowedOrgs": ["myorg1", "myorg2"]
   }

   Important

   As of Docker Desktop version 4.36 and later, you can add more than one organization. With Docker Desktop version 4.35 and earlier, if you add more than one organization sign-in enforcement silently fails.

4. Verify that sign-in is enforced.

   To activate the registry.json file, restart Docker Desktop on the user’s machine. When Docker Desktop starts, verify that the Sign in required! prompt appears.

   In some cases, a system reboot may be necessary for the enforcement to take effect.

   Tip

   If your users have issues starting Docker Desktop after you enforce sign-in, they may need to update to the latest version.

Option 2: Create a registry.json file when installing Docker Desktop

To create a registry.json file when installing Docker Desktop, use the following instructions based on your user's operating system.

PS> Start-Process '.\Docker Desktop Installer.exe' -Wait 'install --allowed-org=myorg'

C:\Users\Admin> "Docker Desktop Installer.exe" install --allowed-org=myorg

$ sudo hdiutil attach Docker.dmg
$ sudo /Volumes/Docker/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/install --allowed-org=myorg
$ sudo hdiutil detach /Volumes/Docker

Option 3: Create a registry.json file using the command line

To create a registry.json using the command line, use the following instructions based on your user's operating system.

PS>  Set-Content /ProgramData/DockerDesktop/registry.json '{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}'

PS C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop> Get-Acl .\registry.json


    Directory: C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop


Path          Owner                  Access
----          -----                  ------
registry.json BUILTIN\Administrators NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM Allow  FullControl...

$ sudo mkdir -p "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker"
$ echo '{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}' | sudo tee "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json"

$ sudo cat "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json"
{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}

$ sudo ls -l "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json"
-rw-r--r--  1 root  admin  26 Jul 27 22:01 /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json

$ sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry
$ echo '{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}' | sudo tee /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json

$ sudo cat /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json
{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}

$ sudo ls -l /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root  26 Jul 27 22:01 /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json

More resources

• Video: Enforce sign-in with a registry.json