In this article, we shall discuss “Preparation failed: Error during connect in the default daemon configuration on Windows – the docker client must be run with elevated privileges”. Docker is an open platform for developing, shipping and running applications. It provides a simple and powerful developer experience, workflows, and collaboration for creating applications. Please, see how to create a static pod in Kubernetes, and how to install, register and start GitLab Runner on Windows.

Docker enables you to separate your applications from your infrastructure so you can deliver software quickly. With Docker, you can manage your infrastructure in the same ways you manage your applications.

By taking advantage of Docker’s methodologies for shipping, testing, and deploying code quickly, you can significantly reduce the delay between writing code and running it in production. You can download and install Docker on multiple platforms.

Executing the Windows docker version command can also prompt this error. Before using Docker Desktop, you may want to see the Docker Subscription Service Agreement. Here is a link to it.

Reason for the error “Preparation failed: The docker client must be run with elevated privileges”

The executor error happened due to a change in the file’s executor. The GitLab-Runner server didn’t restart to apply changes. Kindly refer to some related guides: How to install Git on macOS, clone a repository, and install software from GitHub on Windows. Panic: If you failed to register the GitLab-runner, you may be having network issues.

Running with gitlab-runner 14.3.1 (xxxxxx)
  on Windows runner with docker-windows executor xxxxxxxxx
Preparing the "docker" executor
00:07
ERROR: Failed to remove network for build
ERROR: Preparation failed: error during connect: In the default daemon configuration on Windows, the docker client must be run with elevated privileges to connect.: Get http://xxxxx/info: open //./pipe/docker_engine: The system cannot find the file specified. 
Will be retried in 3s ...

Refer to the following guide on how to install and uninstall Docker Desktop on Windows 10 and Windows Server, how to Pull your first Nginx Container Image from Docker Hub and deploy it to your local machine, Azure DevOps and GitHub integration for Docker and Kubernetes deployment,

Solution: Restart the Docker service

Ensure all the prerequisites to have Docker Desktop installed and running in your environment are fulfilled. This error meant the docker daemon is unreachable. Docker daemon fails to start up on Windows or stops for some reason and especially when you try to run any commands.

To fix such types of issues restarting the service will resolve the error. This will open the Services Windows GUI. Please restart the Docker Desktop Service. This can be done by launching the services.msc  from the Run dialog window or Windows Search.

Right-click on Docker Desktop and select the restart option. Please make sure the services are in the “Running” state.

Docker Platform Installation Deployment Integration Guide: Restart the Docker Service Via the command line

The Docker Desktop services can be stopped and restarted with the following commands. Regardless of the step you use, you will achieve the same result.

net stop com.docker.service
net start com.docker.service

Here are some similar errors this method can resolve as well: “Docker image OS”windows” cannot be used on this platform: No matching manifest for linux/amd64 in the manifest list entries from Microsoft Docker Registry“, and “The executor requires OSType=windows, but Docker Engine supports only OSType=linux“.

Restart docker service using GUI

Using Docker Desktop GUI, click on the troubleshooting icon as shown below and click on Restart.

Click the hidden icon, right-click on Docker, and restart it by following the Docker Platform Installation Deployment Integration Guide steps.

After following the steps outlined in the Docker Platform Installation Deployment Integration Guide. The error was resolved by restarting the Docker Desktop and the GitLab-Runner service using any of the mentioned methods.

If the steps above do not resolve your issues (errors), you may have to Switch Daemon configuration“Switch to Windows Container” in your host OS is Windows.

PS C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker> ./DockerCli.exe -SwitchDaemon

You can perform this action using the command prompt below or directly from the taskbar. To switch to Windows, right-click on the white whale as detailed in the Docker Platform Installation Deployment Integration Guide.

I trust you found the article on “Preparation failed: Error during connect in the default daemon configuration on Windows – the docker client must be run with elevated privileges” very useful. Kindly share any queries in the comments section.