Description
I have some old containers (from the last couple of months) that appear as dead, but trying to delete them I get error from daemon that they don't exist...
Doing docker ps -a shows them all as dead:
CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS PORTS NAMES
43d474c28e19 61f88e24df5b "node build/index.js" 3 days ago Dead
cd8ab3874ce6 a93f01634ef9 "markitdown-mcp" 7 days ago Dead
...snip...
ea1c1ee4d02b 35fcf0217ca0 "node /app/dist/inde…" 2 months ago Dead
4a6f3b2d6d8f 35fcf0217ca0 "node /app/dist/inde…" 3 months ago Dead
docker container ls shows an empty list.
Even in Docker Desktop, they don't appear in the "Containers" section, but are visible via the "Disk usage" extension:
Trying to delete them (forcefully and not) with docker container rm -f <CONTAINER_ID> gives the error Error response from daemon: No such container: <CONTAINER_ID>.
I've ran the same commands both in Windows CMD line and in WSL, no difference. I've tried even deleting all containers indiscriminately with docker container rm $(docker ps -a -q), but I just get the same error.
I've also tried tostop and kill them, and also ran every prune command but they persist.
Any ideas? (please don't ask if I restarted Docker)
Reproduce
See above
Expected behavior
No response
docker version
Client:
Version: 29.0.1
API version: 1.52
Go version: go1.25.4
Git commit: eedd969
Built: Fri Nov 14 16:19:55 2025
OS/Arch: windows/amd64
Context: desktop-linux
Server: Docker Desktop 4.53.0 (211793)
Engine:
Version: 29.0.1
API version: 1.52 (minimum version 1.44)
Go version: go1.25.4
Git commit: 198b5e3
Built: Fri Nov 14 16:17:57 2025
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Experimental: false
containerd:
Version: v2.1.5
GitCommit: fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1
runc:
Version: 1.3.3
GitCommit: v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
docker-init:
Version: 0.19.0
GitCommit: de40ad0
docker info
Client:
Version: 29.0.1
Context: desktop-linux
Debug Mode: false
Plugins:
ai: Docker AI Agent - Ask Gordon (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.13.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-ai.exe
buildx: Docker Buildx (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.29.1-desktop.1
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-buildx.exe
compose: Docker Compose (Docker Inc.)
Version: v2.40.3-desktop.1
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-compose.exe
debug: Get a shell into any image or container (Docker Inc.)
Version: 0.0.45
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-debug.exe
desktop: Docker Desktop commands (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.2.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-desktop.exe
extension: Manages Docker extensions (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.2.31
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-extension.exe
init: Creates Docker-related starter files for your project (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.4.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-init.exe
mcp: Docker MCP Plugin (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.28.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-mcp.exe
model: Docker Model Runner (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.0.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-model.exe
offload: Docker Offload (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.5.24
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-offload.exe
pass: Docker Pass Secrets Manager Plugin (beta) (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.0.11
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-pass.exe
sandbox: Docker Sandbox (Docker Inc.)
Version: v0.6.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-sandbox.exe
sbom: View the packaged-based Software Bill Of Materials (SBOM) for an image (Anchore Inc.)
Version: 0.6.0
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-sbom.exe
scout: Docker Scout (Docker Inc.)
Version: v1.18.3
Path: C:\Program Files\Docker\cli-plugins\docker-scout.exe
Server:
Containers: 18
Running: 0
Paused: 0
Stopped: 18
Images: 0
Server Version: 29.0.1
Storage Driver: overlayfs
driver-type: io.containerd.snapshotter.v1
Logging Driver: json-file
Cgroup Driver: cgroupfs
Cgroup Version: 2
Plugins:
Volume: local
Network: bridge host ipvlan macvlan null overlay
Log: awslogs fluentd gcplogs gelf journald json-file local splunk syslog
CDI spec directories:
/etc/cdi
/var/run/cdi
Discovered Devices:
cdi: docker.com/gpu=webgpu
Swarm: inactive
Runtimes: io.containerd.runc.v2 nvidia runc
Default Runtime: runc
Init Binary: docker-init
containerd version: fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1
runc version: v1.3.3-0-gd842d771
init version: de40ad0
Security Options:
seccomp
Profile: builtin
cgroupns
Kernel Version: 6.6.87.2-microsoft-standard-WSL2
Operating System: Docker Desktop
OSType: linux
Architecture: x86_64
CPUs: 24
Total Memory: 15.62GiB
Name: docker-desktop
ID: e541d5ea-6c9e-46f1-9182-17de57833d05
Docker Root Dir: /var/lib/docker
Debug Mode: false
HTTP Proxy: http.docker.internal:3128
HTTPS Proxy: http.docker.internal:3128
No Proxy: hubproxy.docker.internal
Labels:
com.docker.desktop.address=npipe://\\.\pipe\docker_cli
Experimental: false
Insecure Registries:
hubproxy.docker.internal:5555
::1/128
127.0.0.0/8
Live Restore Enabled: false
Firewall Backend: iptables
Diagnostics ID
42CAFDA5-3DE9-456D-AB15-DE93913D34EB/20251129150606
Additional Info
No response
Description
I have some old containers (from the last couple of months) that appear as dead, but trying to delete them I get error from daemon that they don't exist...
Doing
docker ps -ashows them all as dead:docker container lsshows an empty list.Even in Docker Desktop, they don't appear in the "Containers" section, but are visible via the "Disk usage" extension:
Trying to delete them (forcefully and not) with
docker container rm -f <CONTAINER_ID>gives the errorError response from daemon: No such container: <CONTAINER_ID>.I've ran the same commands both in Windows CMD line and in WSL, no difference. I've tried even deleting all containers indiscriminately with
docker container rm $(docker ps -a -q), but I just get the same error.I've also tried to
stopandkillthem, and also ran everyprunecommand but they persist.Any ideas? (please don't ask if I restarted Docker)
Reproduce
See above
Expected behavior
No response
docker version
Client: Version: 29.0.1 API version: 1.52 Go version: go1.25.4 Git commit: eedd969 Built: Fri Nov 14 16:19:55 2025 OS/Arch: windows/amd64 Context: desktop-linux Server: Docker Desktop 4.53.0 (211793) Engine: Version: 29.0.1 API version: 1.52 (minimum version 1.44) Go version: go1.25.4 Git commit: 198b5e3 Built: Fri Nov 14 16:17:57 2025 OS/Arch: linux/amd64 Experimental: false containerd: Version: v2.1.5 GitCommit: fcd43222d6b07379a4be9786bda52438f0dd16a1 runc: Version: 1.3.3 GitCommit: v1.3.3-0-gd842d771 docker-init: Version: 0.19.0 GitCommit: de40ad0docker info
Diagnostics ID
42CAFDA5-3DE9-456D-AB15-DE93913D34EB/20251129150606
Additional Info
No response