docker-compose: command not found — How to Fix

If you’re getting docker-compose: command not found on a modern Linux system, it’s likely because Docker has changed how Compose is installed.

Quick Fix

docker compose version

Note the space instead of the hyphen. Modern Docker includes Compose as a plugin — the command is docker compose (not docker-compose).

If that works, just use docker compose going forward.

If docker compose Also Fails

Install the Compose plugin:

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin

# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf install docker-compose-plugin

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S docker-compose

Install Standalone docker-compose (Legacy)

If your Docker version doesn’t support plugins, install the standalone binary:

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Verify:

docker-compose --version

Why You’re Seeing This

Docker Compose was originally a standalone Python script (docker-compose). In 2023, Docker integrated Compose as a native plugin (docker compose). Many systems ship Docker without the standalone binary, so the hyphenated command no longer works out of the box.

Check If Compose Is Already Installed

docker info | grep -i compose

If you see compose:, the plugin is already installed — just use docker compose instead of docker-compose.

Common Issues

Permission Denied

If the standalone binary gives permission errors:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

“command not found” After Installation

Ensure /usr/local/bin is in your PATH:

echo $PATH | grep /usr/local/bin

If not, add it to your shell config (~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc):

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"

Need more Docker help? Check our grep command guide for searching Docker logs.