Docker uses too much disk¶
Docker keeps every image you pulled or built, every stopped container and the build cache until you prune them. 20–50 GB is common.
diskdiet asks Docker to remove, with Docker's own prune commands and an age filter:
- stopped containers created more than 30 days ago,
- images no container uses, created more than 30 days ago,
- build cache not used for 30 days.
Volumes stay unless you add --volumes: they can hold databases.
It works with Docker Desktop, OrbStack, Colima, Rancher Desktop and Docker Engine (it
uses your current docker context).
The space didn't come back?¶
Docker Desktop keeps everything in a virtual disk file that may not shrink right away, especially on Windows. See Docker details for how to compact it.
The equivalent by hand¶
docker container prune --filter until=720h
docker image prune --all --filter until=720h
docker builder prune --all --filter until=720h
diskdiet runs these for you, shows what can be freed first, and lists Docker next to everything else filling your disk.