docker-compose: command not found — how to fix

docker-compose: command not found
docker: 'compose' is not a docker command.

Quick fix: Use docker compose up (space, not dash). If you get 'compose' is not a docker command, install the plugin: sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin (from Docker's apt repo) or update Docker Desktop.

What it means

There are two generations of Compose:

Most tutorials still say docker-compose, but new installs only include v2.

Fix 1: use the v2 command

docker compose version
docker compose up -d
docker compose down

The flags and docker-compose.yml / compose.yaml files are the same.

Fix 2: install the Compose plugin (Linux)

If docker compose says 'compose' is not a docker command:

Ubuntu/Debian with Docker's official repository:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

Fedora/RHEL: sudo dnf install docker-compose-plugin.

If you installed Docker from your distro's own packages (docker.io on Ubuntu), the plugin may be called docker-compose-v2:

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-v2

Manual install for the current user:

mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins
curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-linux-x86_64 \
  -o ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose
chmod +x ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Fix 3: Docker Desktop (Mac/Windows)

Compose v2 is bundled. Update Docker Desktop, and make sure the Docker CLI is on your PATH (restart the terminal after installing).

Scripts that still call docker-compose

Add a small wrapper instead of editing every script:

sudo tee /usr/local/bin/docker-compose >/dev/null <<'SH'
#!/bin/sh
exec docker compose "$@"
SH
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Last updated 2026-10-28.