n8n on Windows: Docker, WSL, and Common Errors

• Prepare Windows for n8n with Docker and WSL.
• Diagnose errors before blaming the workflow.
• Start a minimal stack that you can later connect to Ollama.

Pre-installation checklist

• Windows up to date.
• Virtualization enabled in BIOS/UEFI.
• WSL 2 installed with a working Linux distro.
• Docker Desktop using the WSL 2 backend.
• Full restart after enabling Windows features.

# In PowerShell
wsl --status
wsl --list --verbose
docker version
docker compose version

# If Docker doesn't respond, open Docker Desktop and wait until it shows "Engine running".
# Then try:
docker run --rm hello-world

Minimal stack with persistent volume

For local testing you can start with SQLite. In production, Postgres and a public URL with HTTPS are better—but first we need an instance that starts the same way every time.

# docker-compose.yml
services:
  n8n:
    image: docker.n8n.io/n8nio/n8n:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5678:5678"
    environment:
      - N8N_HOST=localhost
      - N8N_PORT=5678
      - N8N_PROTOCOL=http
      - N8N_SECURE_COOKIE=false
      - TZ=Europe/Madrid
    volumes:
      - n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
  n8n_data:

docker compose up -d
docker compose logs -f n8n

# Open:
# http://localhost:5678

Common errors and quick troubleshooting

• Port in use: change `5678:5678` to `5680:5678`.
• Docker won't start: check WSL, virtualization, and restart.
• Data disappears: you didn't mount a persistent volume.
• Ollama won't connect: from Docker, `localhost` points to the container, not Windows.
• Execute Command can't see your programs: run inside the container, not on the host.

Official sources

• n8n: Install with Docker
• n8n: Execute Command node