How to Delete a Docker Image?

My project includes a Dockerfile to build an image. I've made modifications to that Dockerfile and want to see if it works. So i closed my program and listed all docker images in powershell using docker image ls -a. I deletetd all unused images using docker rmi -f $(docker images -a -q) and docker image prune -a.

But my image keeps not getting deleted, but simply 'untagged':

Untagged: my_image:latest
Untagged: my_image@sha256:16eb92a476be0...

All containers are stopped and deleted before trying to remove the image.
When i restart my application to build a new image, the old one keeps getting used:

> docker image ls -a
REPOSITORY                     TAG           IMAGE ID            CREATED      
/my_image                      latest        0d79904a74b0        2 months ago

How do i actually physically remove the old image so my application can build a new one?

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1 Answer

At first, you need to delete/stop the running container that is using your image(which one you want to remove).

  • docker ps -a: To see all the running containers in your machine.
  • docker stop <container_id>: To stop a running container.
  • docker rm <container_id>: To remove/delete a docker container(only if it stopped).
  • docker image ls: To see the list of all the available images with their tag, image id, creation time and size.
  • docker rmi <image_id>: To delete a specific image.
  • docker rmi -f <image_id>: To delete a docker image forcefully
  • docker rm -f (docker ps -a | awk '{print$1}'): To delete all the docker container available in your machine
  • docker image rm <image_name>: To delete a specific image

To remove the image, you have to remove/stop all the containers which are using it.

  • docker system prune -a: To clean the docker environment, removing all the containers and images.
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David Miller

David Miller

Executive Financial & Market Analyst

David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.

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