at `/usr/local/bin/kubectl` on Mac and at `C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\Resources\bin\kubectl.exe` on Windows. This location may not be in your shell's `PATH`
variable, so you may need to type the full path of the command or add it to
the `PATH`.

If you have already installed `kubectl` and it is
pointing to some other environment, such as `minikube` or a Google Kubernetes Engine cluster, ensure you change the context so that `kubectl` is pointing to `docker-desktop`:

```console
$ kubectl config get-contexts
$ kubectl config use-context docker-desktop
```

> [!TIP]
>
> If the `kubectl` config get-contexts command returns an empty result, try:
>
> - Running the command in the Command Prompt or PowerShell.
> - Setting the `KUBECONFIG` environment variable to point to your `.kube/config` file.

### Verify installation

To confirm that Kubernetes is running, list the available nodes:

```console
$ kubectl get nodes
NAME                 STATUS    ROLES            AGE       VERSION
docker-desktop       Ready     control-plane    3h        v1.29.1
```

If you installed `kubectl` using Homebrew, or by some other method, and
experience conflicts, remove `/usr/local/bin/kubectl`.

For more information about `kubectl`, see the
[`kubectl` documentation](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/kubectl/overview/).

## Upgrade your cluster

Kubernetes clusters are not automatically upgraded with Docker Desktop updates. To upgrade the cluster, you must manually select **Reset Kubernetes Cluster** in settings.

## Additional settings

### Viewing system containers

By default, Kubernetes system containers are hidden. To inspect these containers, enable **Show system containers (advanced)**.

You can now view the running Kubernetes containers with `docker ps` or in the Docker Desktop Dashboard.

### Configuring a custom image registry for Kubernetes control plane images

Docker Desktop uses containers to run the Kubernetes control plane. By default, Docker Desktop pulls
the associated container images from Docker Hub. The images pulled depend on the [cluster provisioning mode](#cluster-provisioning-method).

For example, in `kind` mode it requires the following images:

```console
docker.io/kindest/node:<tag>
docker.io/envoyproxy/envoy:<tag>
docker.io/docker/desktop-cloud-provider-kind:<tag>
docker.io/docker/desktop-containerd-registry-mirror:<tag>
```

In `kubeadm` mode it requires the following images:

```console
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/kube-controller-manager:<tag>
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/kube-apiserver:<tag>
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/kube-scheduler:<tag>
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/kube-proxy
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/etcd:<tag>
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/pause:<tag>
docker.io/registry.k8s.io/coredns/coredns:<tag>
docker.io/docker/desktop-storage-provisioner:<tag>
docker.io/docker/desktop-vpnkit-controller:<tag>
docker.io/docker/desktop-kubernetes:<tag>
```

The image tags are automatically selected by Docker Desktop based on several
factors, including the version of Kubernetes being used. The tags vary for each image.

To accommodate scenarios where access to Docker Hub is not allowed, admins can
configure Docker Desktop to pull the above listed images from a different registry (e.g., a mirror)
using the [KubernetesImagesRepository](../../security/for-admins/hardened-desktop/settings-management/configure-json-file.md#kubernetes) setting as follows.

An image name can be broken into `[registry[:port]/][namespace/]repository[:tag]` components.
The `KubernetesImagesRepository` setting allows users to override the `[registry[:port]/][namespace]`