Installation

Rancher Desktop is deliverd as a desktop application. You can download it from the release page on GitHub.

When run for the first time or when changing versions, kubernetes containers images are downloaded. It may take a little time to load on first run for a new Kubernetes version.

MacOS

Requirements

Rancher Desktop requires the following on macOS:

• macOS Catalina 10.15 or higer.
• Apple Silicon (M1) or Intel CPU with VT-x.
• Persistent internet connection.

It is also recommended to have:

• 8 GB of memory
• 4 CPU

Additional resources may be required depending on the workloads you plan to run.

Installing Rancher Desktop on macOS

1. Go to the release page on GitHub.
2. Find the version of Rancher Desktop you want to download.
3. Expand the Assets section and download Rancher.Desktop-X.Y.Z.dmg, where X.Y.Z is the version of Rancher Desktop.
4. Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the installer to and run the installer. This will usually be the Downloads folder.
5. Double-click the DMG file.
6. In the Finder window that opens, drag the Rancher Desktop icon to the Applications folder.
7. Navigate to the Applications folder and double-click the Rancher Desktop to launch it.

Uninstalling Racher Desktop on macOS

1. Open Finder > Applications.
2. Find Rancher Desktop.
3. Select it and choose File > Move to Trash.
4. To delete the app, Finder > Empty Trash.

Windows

Requirements

Rancher Desktop requires the following on Windows:

• Windows 10 build 1909 or higher. The home edition is supported.
• Running on a machine with virtualization capabilities.
• Persistent internet connection.

Rancher Desktop requires Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) on windows, this will automatically be installed as part of the Rancher Desktop setup. Manually downloading a distribution is not necessary.

It is also recommended to have:

• 8 GB of memory
• 4 CPU

Additional resources may be required depending on workloads you plan to run.

Installing Rancher Desktop on Windows

1. Go to the release page on GitHub.
2. Find the version of Rancher Desktop you want to download.
3. Expand the Assets section and download the Windows installer. It will be called Rancher.Desktop.Setup.X.Y.Z.msi, where X.Y.Z is the version of Rancher Desktop.
4. Navigate to the directory where you downloaded the installer to and run the installer. This will usually be the Downloads folder.
5. Review the License Agreement and click I Agree to proceed with the installation.
6. If prompted, choose between installing for everyone on the machine or installing just for the current user. Installing for everyone is preferred in order to install the Rancher Desktop Privileged service.
7. Follow the prompts to confirm installation.
8. When the installation completes, click Finish to close the installation wizard.

Uninstalling Rancher Desktop on Windows

1. From the taskbar, click the Start menu.
2. Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features.
3. Find and select the Rancher Desktop entry.
4. Click on Uninstall and click it again when the confirmation appears.
5. Follow the prompts on the Rancher Desktop uninstaller to proceed.
6. Click Finish when complete.