Resolving Docker Overlay2 Removal Errors | Generated by AI
That error means Docker failed to remove the container’s overlay2 filesystem — the kernel/VM returned a low-level I/O error (readdirent merged: bad message). On macOS this usually happens when the Docker VM or overlay storage is in a bad state. Below are safe, ordered steps (from least destructive → more aggressive) you can try to recover.
Important: some commands below can remove data (images/volumes). I’ll mark destructive steps and show exact commands so you can copy/paste if you want.
Quick checks (safe)
In a terminal, run:
# show container status and the problematic container id
docker ps -a --no-trunc | grep ccd89a3f36a1528cb923c90de8755faeb36e229c || true
# try a forced remove of the container
docker rm -f ccd89a3f36a1528cb923c90de8755faeb36e229c
If docker rm -f succeeds, you’re done. If it fails with the same overlay error, continue.
Restart Docker (macOS Docker Desktop) — recommended next step (safe)
Quit Docker Desktop completely (use the whale icon → Quit) then start it again. Or from command line:
# macOS — restart Docker Desktop via AppleScript
osascript -e 'quit app "Docker"'
open -a Docker
After Docker restarts, try docker compose down or docker rm -f <id> again.
Restart the host (very safe)
If a restart is possible, rebooting macOS often clears VM filesystem issues:
- Reboot the Mac, then start Docker Desktop and retry.
If still failing — use Docker Desktop Troubleshoot actions (safe / medium)
Open Docker Desktop → Troubleshoot:
- Click Restart Docker (if you haven’t already).
- If that fails, try Clean / Purge data or Reset to factory defaults — warning: these remove images/containers/volumes. Use only if you can afford to lose local Docker data.
If you’re on Docker Engine (Linux) or comfortable with manual cleanup (destructive)
Only do this if you understand data loss risk. Stop Docker daemon, remove overlay2 directory for the problematic id, then restart Docker.
# stop docker daemon (Linux)
sudo systemctl stop docker
# back up the overlay2 folder first (optional, if you have space)
sudo cp -a /var/lib/docker/overlay2/7acbf095f3537e4829397e10f2134499389c724d3378782a8882ff1299fc431f /root/overlay2-backup-7acbf095
# if backup done / not needed, remove the merged directory for that overlay:
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker/overlay2/7acbf095f3537e4829397e10f2134499389c724d3378782a8882ff1299fc431f
# (optionally) remove container metadata if necessary
# WARNING: only remove files you are certain correspond to the broken container
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker/containers/ccd89a3f36a1528cb923c90de8755faeb36e229cab353c2285222948197b8d18
# start docker
sudo systemctl start docker
# then try to clean up dangling items
docker system prune -a --volumes
Again: deleting files under /var/lib/docker is destructive and can break other containers if done incorrectly. Only use if you know what you’re deleting.
Less-destructive cleanup that often helps
If you can’t delete the overlay directly or prefer a softer approach:
# try pruning unused objects
docker system prune -f
docker volume prune -f
# remove unused images/containers (be careful)
docker image prune -a -f
docker container prune -f
This can free space and sometimes lets Docker re-run remove operations successfully.
If the problem recurs and you use Docker Desktop for Mac
- Consider increasing Docker VM disk size (Settings → Resources → Disk image size).
- If you rely on important local data, export volumes/containers first (
docker export,docker save) before using Reset/Purge.
Diagnostics to collect (if you want me to help further)
If none of above fixes it, share outputs of these (non-destructive) commands and I’ll suggest targeted next steps:
docker info
docker ps -a
docker compose version
docker version
# list overlay dirs (Linux)
ls -lah /var/lib/docker/overlay2 | head -n 40
(If you’re on macOS Docker Desktop, ls /var/lib/docker won’t show the VM contents — prefer restarting Docker Desktop or using the Troubleshoot UI.)
If you want, tell me whether you’re running Docker Desktop on macOS (most likely) or Docker Engine on Linux — I’ll give a shorter, tailored sequence. If you prefer, I can also produce a one-line checklist you can run in order.