Podman Desktop 1.20 Release
Podman Desktop 1.20 Release! ๐
Podman Desktop 1.20 is now available. Click here to download it!
This release brings exciting new features and improvements:
- Start all containers in bulk: A new bulk-run button allows you to start multiple selected containers at once, saving time when launching your container stack.
- Switching users and clusters: Seamlessly switch your active Kubernetes cluster and user context from within Podman Desktop, making multi-cluster workflows much easier.
- Search by description in extension list: Find extensions faster by searching not just by name but also through keywords in their descriptions.
- Update providers from the Resources page: Easily update your container engines or Kubernetes providers right from the Resources page for a more streamlined upgrade process.
- Local Extension Development Mode: The production binary now lets you load and live-test local extensions after enabling Development Mode, eliminating the need to run Podman Desktop in dev/watch mode.
- Instantly stop live container logs: Now you can stop live log streaming from containers without closing the logs window. This gives you more control over resource usage and debugging workflows.
- New Community page website: A new Community page on our website helps you connect with fellow users, find resources, and get involved with Podman Desktopโs development.
Release details ๐โ
Bulk Start All Containersโ
If you have several containers to run, you no longer need to start each one individually. Podman Desktop now provides a โRun Allโ button on the Containers view to launch all selected containers with a single click. This makes it much more convenient to bring up multiple services or an entire application stack in one go. Already-running containers are intelligently skipped, so the bulk start action focuses on only starting the ones that are stopped.


Switch Users and Clustersโ
Podman Desktopโs Kubernetes integration now supports easy context switching between different clusters and user accounts. You can change your active Kubernetes cluster and user directly through the application UI without editing config files or using external CLI commands. This is especially useful for developers working with multiple environments โ for example, switching from a development cluster to a production cluster (or using different user credentials) is now just a few clicks. It streamlines multi-cluster workflows by letting you hop between contexts seamlessly inside Podman Desktop.


Extension Search by Descriptionโ
The extension marketplace search has been improved to help you discover tools more easily. Previously, searching for extensions only matched against extension names. In Podman Desktop 1.20, the search bar also looks at extension descriptions. This means you can enter a keyword related to an extensionโs functionality or topic, and the relevant extensions will appear even if that keyword isnโt in the extensionโs name. Itโs now much easier to find extensions by what they do, not just what theyโre called.


Provider Updates from Resources Pageโ
Managing your container and Kubernetes providers just got easier. The Resources page in Podman Desktop (which lists your container engines and Kubernetes environments) now allows direct updates for those providers. If a new version of a provider โ say Podman, Docker, or a Kubernetes VM โ is available, you can trigger the upgrade right from Podman Desktopโs interface. No need to manually run update commands or leave the app; a quick click keeps your development environment up-to-date with the latest releases.


Local Extension Development Modeโ
Extension authors can now toggle Development Mode in Preferences and add a local folder from the new Local Extensions tab. Podman Desktop will watch the folder, load the extension, and keep it tracked across restarts, exactly as it behaves in production. You can start, stop, or untrack the extension directly from the UI, shortening the feedback loop for building and debugging add-ons without extra CLI flags or a special dev build.

