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Docker Desktop 4.93.0 exits immediately on launch on macOS 26.6.2 (Apple Silicon) #725
Description
Bug report
Bug description
Docker Desktop 4.93.0 (240920), downloaded from the official Docker website for Apple Silicon and installed at /Applications/Docker.app, exits immediately when launched. The initial setup / subscription agreement screen never appears, and no Docker backend process remains running. Restarting the Mac did not resolve the issue.
Expected: Docker Desktop opens the initial setup screen and can start its engine after setup.
Actual: the app exits during launch before setup is displayed.
Reproduction steps
- Download the Apple Silicon Docker Desktop DMG from the official website.
- Copy Docker.app to Applications.
- Launch
/Applications/Docker.appfrom Finder or withopen /Applications/Docker.app. - Observe the immediate exit, with no setup screen.
- Restart macOS and retry: the same behavior occurs.
Observed errors
The macOS launch attempt reports:
RBSRequestErrorDomain Code=5: Launched process exited during launch.
Running com.docker.backend --help directly also exits with status 137. Around the failed launch, system logs include:
taskgated-helper: com.docker.docker: Unsatisfied entitlements: com.apple.security.application-groups
taskgated-helper: Disallowing: com.docker.docker
amfid: Soft-restriction provisioning profile validation failure:
AppleMobileFileIntegrityError Code=-413 "No matching profile found"
Checks performed
- The backend is a native arm64 executable.
codesign --verify --deep --strict /Applications/Docker.apppasses.spctl --assess --type execute --verbose /Applications/Docker.appreportsaccepted, sourceNotarized Developer ID.- The backend is signed by Docker Inc (Team ID
9BNSXJN65R). - The backend claims
com.apple.security.application-groups = [group.com.docker], but the embedded provisioning profile does not include that entitlement. The profile expires in October 2043, so it is not expired. - SHA-256 comparison confirms the installed backend and embedded provisioning profile are byte-for-byte identical to those in the downloaded DMG.
- No app re-signing, macOS security changes, or downgrade has been attempted.
The entitlement messages are observations, not a confirmed root cause: Apple's documentation notes that an unvalidated app-group entitlement alone does not necessarily terminate a macOS process. Could you help identify the cause of this immediate exit and a supported workaround?
Diagnostics
A bundle was collected locally using com.docker.diagnose gather, without -upload. The attached archive is an intentionally reduced / redacted version: device identifiers, network snapshots, unrelated process inventories, and unrelated system logs were removed. Docker launch errors and relevant version information are retained. If any removed information is further needed for diagnosis pls lmk.
docker-startup-diagnostics-redacted.zip
Platform
macOS
Version information
Docker Desktop: 4.93.0 (240920), main channel
macOS: 26.6.2 (25G83)
Architecture: arm64 (Apple Silicon)
Hardware: MacBook Pro, Apple M2 Pro, 16 GB RAM
Bundled versions reported by the diagnostics tool (engine not running):
Engine: 29.8.1
Buildx: v0.37.1
Compose: v5.5.1
The backend cannot start, so live client/server version output is unavailable.Diagnostics ID
No response
Activity
voonyee commentedon Oct 5, 2026
Hi, thanks for reporting this.
Can you:
Run the following in Terminal and paste the output:
Try to open Docker once, then run
log show --last 5m --style syslog --predicate 'process == "kernel" OR process == "syspolicyd" OR process == "amfid"' | grep -i -E 'docker|killing|code signature|AppleSystemPolicy' codesign -d --entitlements :- /Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/com.docker.backend profiles status -type enrollmentIs this Mac managed by your employer (device management or a corporate VPN client)? If yes, does Docker Desktop launch from a different, unmanaged user account or Mac?
Does an earlier Docker Desktop version, open on the same Mac?
If you're comfortable with it, you can also try adding Docker to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access and relaunching. Please only do this if your IT policy allows it, and tell us whether it changes anything.
Macchiatobin commentedon Oct 5, 2026
voonyee commentedon Oct 6, 2026
Thanks for providing the output.
So far, still unclear what might be causing it. Can you try a clean uninstall of Docker Desktop, install Docker Desktop to see if the issue persists?
Please remember to do the following:
If issue persists, can you generate a new Diagnostics log and share with us the Diagnostics ID?
https://docs.docker.com/desktop/troubleshoot-and-support/troubleshoot/#diagnose-from-the-terminal
You shared that running Running com.docker.backend --help directly also exits with status 137. Can you check under macOS setting for "Privacy & Security", any restriction from starting Docker Desktop? If you have any security software, can temporary disable it to see if it helps?
Macchiatobin commentedon Oct 6, 2026
Hi, I just uninstalled docker following the official instruction and re-installed it. (I just did it using ver 4.92 I previously downloaded)
And the issue persists.
Thus I uploaded the diagnostics log and the ID is
BDD76848-15BB-4276-94A4-C1AB18FE61BB/20261006043044.And I double-checked my macOS's privacy & security setting and no potentially problematic setting (at least to me) was located.
Thank you.
voonyee commentedon Oct 6, 2026
Thanks for trying that. So far, it seems that Docker Desktop shutdown at the moment it starts, before Docker itself runs.
I am still unsure what is causing that. Try to open Docker once, then immediately run:
log show --last 5m --style syslog --predicate 'process == "kernel" OR process == "syspolicyd" OR process == "amfid"' | grep -i -E 'docker|killing|code signature|AppleSystemPolicy'codesign -d --entitlements :- /Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/com.docker.backend profiles status -type enrollmentEarlier, the output of command 1 returns nothing. Let's see if you open Docker and run it immediately, does it return any output?