Changing Podman Data Directory on Windows

This guide outlines the steps to change the Podman data directory on a Windows environment by exporting and importing the WSL instance.

1. Stop the Podman Machine

Execute the following command to stop the Podman machine:

podman machine stop

2. Export the WSL Instance

Export the existing WSL instance to a backup file:

wsl --export <<instance_name>> backup.tar

3. Unregister the WSL Instance

Unregister the current WSL instance:

wsl --unregister <<instance_name>>

4. Import the WSL Instance to New Location

Import the WSL instance to the desired new path:

wsl --import <<instance_name>> <<new_path>> backup.tar --version 2

5. Start the Podman Machine

Start the Podman machine:

podman machine start

Example Usage:

First, list the available WSL instances to identify the Podman instance:

wsl -l -v

Assuming the instance name is podman-machine-default, execute the following commands:

podman machine stop
wsl --export podman-machine-default backup.tar
wsl --unregister podman-machine-default
wsl --import podman-machine-default <<new_path>> backup.tar --version 2
podman machine start

This process effectively relocates the Podman data directory to a new location on your Windows system.