How to install Docker Compose on Windows

Docker Compose lets you run complex ap­pli­ca­tions using a single command. This means that con­tain­ers can be deployed faster and more ef­fi­cient­ly. Our tutorial guides you through the Docker Compose Windows in­stal­la­tion step by step.

What are the re­quire­ments of Docker Compose on Windows?

Docker Compose is an integral part of Docker Desktop for Windows. To use the stand­alone version of Docker Compose, the following re­quire­ments must be met:

• Docker Engine: Compose is an extension of Docker Engine. So you need to have the Docker Server and Client binaries installed.
• Operating System: Windows, ad­min­is­tra­tor rights

How to install Docker Compose on Windows step by step

To install and use Docker Compose, Docker Daemon and Docker Client should be running on your Windows server. Before getting started it’s best to ensure that the Docker service is running error-free.

Step 1: Start Pow­er­Shell

First, launch Pow­er­Shell using your ad­min­is­tra­tor rights. Confirm “Yes” to allow the app to make changes to your device.

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Step 2: Set up TLS security protocol

GitHub requires TLS1.2 as the default security protocol. Run the following command in Windows Pow­er­Shell:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

Step 3: Download and install Docker Compose

Download the latest version of Compose (v2.17.2) from GitHub:

Start-BitsTransfer -Source "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.17.2/docker-compose-Windows-x86_64.exe" -Destination $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker\docker-compose.exe

To install a different version, simply replace v2.17.2 in the target address with the desired version number.

Step 3: Test Docker Compose

Check if the in­stal­la­tion was suc­cess­ful by dis­play­ing the current version of Compose:

docker compose version

You should see the following output:

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