Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop runs Linux containers on Windows and macOS, so Torsher runs there too. It's a good way to try Torsher on the computer you already have. For a server that runs all the time, a Linux machine gets every feature: see Mini PC.

What you'll get

Torsher running in Docker Desktop, its data in a Docker volume, and the showcase open on your TV.

What works and what doesn't

Docker Desktop is supported on a best-effort basis: the image is built for it and bug reports are welcome, but it gets no guarantees.

	On Docker Desktop
Catalog, streaming, library, following	Work as on Linux
Hardware transcoding	No: Docker Desktop doesn't pass a GPU into Linux containers. The CPU transcodes and scales large video down
Data in a folder on your computer	Not checked yet: hard links and the database may not work on shared folders. Use a Docker volume, as below
Running all the time	Only while the computer is awake and Docker Desktop is running

Before you start

• Docker Desktop, installed by Docker's guide: Windows (with the WSL 2 backend) or Mac. The image runs on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs.

• Docker Desktop started. Check in a terminal (Terminal on macOS, PowerShell on Windows):

  docker compose version

• Disk space for what you watch and keep. See Requirements.

1. Get the install file

1. Create a folder, for example torsher in your home folder.
2. Download docker-compose.yml from the latest release into it.

What each line means: Docker Compose.

2. Keep the data in a Docker volume

In docker-compose.yml, under volumes: of the torsher service, replace the - ./data:/data line with a named volume:

- torsher-data:/data

Then add these lines at the very end of the file, without indentation:

volumes:
  torsher-data:

The volume lives on the Linux disk inside Docker Desktop, not in a folder shared from Windows or macOS, so the database and hard links should behave as on Linux (not tested on Docker Desktop yet). The files in it are not visible in Finder or File Explorer.

PUID and PGID can stay at 1000: on start, the container gives its folders in the volume to that user.

Keep the data in a folder on your computer instead

Leave ./data:/data as it is. Torsher then keeps everything in the data folder next to docker-compose.yml. This setup is not checked yet: the database and hard links may misbehave on folders shared from Windows or macOS. If the folder browser in the panel says files will be copied, kept files take space twice.

On macOS, Docker Desktop shares /Users, /Volumes, /private, /tmp and /var/folders by default; other folders have to be added in its settings first.

To let Torsher see movies you already have, add the folder read-only under volumes: of the torsher service. On macOS:

- /Users/<you>/Movies:/media/movies:ro

On Windows:

- C:/Users/<you>/Videos:/media/movies:ro

After the first start, add /media/movies under Library, then Add library. Torsher never writes there.

3. Start

In a terminal, in the folder with docker-compose.yml:

docker compose up -d

To run Prowlarr next to it, see Indexers.

4. Open the panel

On the same computer, open http://localhost:8080/panel/. The panel asks you to create the owner account and starts the setup wizard.

5. Reach it from the TV

Docker Desktop publishes the port on all network interfaces of the computer by default, so a TV in the same network opens Torsher at the computer's address: http://<server-address>:8080/.

• Windows: run ipconfig and take the IPv4 Address of your network adapter.
• macOS: System Settings → Network shows the address of the active connection.

A firewall on the computer may block connections from the TV. If the TV can't reach Torsher, allow incoming connections for Docker Desktop in the firewall.

To keep Torsher available, keep the computer from sleeping and turn on Start Docker Desktop when you sign in to your computer in Docker Desktop's settings; it's off by default. The container starts again with Docker Desktop thanks to restart: unless-stopped in the install file.

Check

1. In the folder with docker-compose.yml, run:

   docker compose ps

   The torsher container should be running, and within a minute healthy.

2. On your phone, open http://<server-address>:8080/panel/. If it opens, the TV will reach the server too.

3. In the panel, Settings → Playback says The server can't see a GPU, which is expected here, and CPU and HDR shows what the CPU can handle.

If something went wrong

• docker is not found or can't connect. Docker Desktop isn't running. Start it, wait until it has started, and try again.
• The container keeps restarting. See Troubleshooting.
• Port 8080 is taken. See Troubleshooting.
• The TV or phone doesn't reach the server. Check the address and the firewall. See Troubleshooting.
• Kept files are copied. See Troubleshooting.

Next

• Setup wizard.
• Connect a device.