Podman Desktop 1.13 introduces key updates, including Hyper-V support for managing Podman machines on Windows, an integrated image search feature, and redesigned empty state pages for containers, images, pods, and Kubernetes. The release also includes a reorganized Kubernetes navigation and an Image Layer Explorer extension. Some users have reported issues updating on Windows, requiring manual downloads.
One of the major features of Podman Desktop 1.13 is support for Hyper-V, allowing users to create and manage Podman machines using Hyper-V directly from the application on Windows systems. If WSL and Hyper-V are enabled on a Windows machine, users can choose between the two as a provider when creating a Podman machine through a simple dropdown menu.
Furthermore, Podman Desktop now includes a new image search feature, enabling users to find container images directly within the application. For more precise searches, it is possible to append a tag to the image name by adding a colon (:).
Search image feature (Source: Podman blog)
Podman Desktop has also updated the empty state pages for various sections, including containers, images, pods, and Kubernetes. These pages now provide clearer instructions and clickable buttons. Whether pulling the first image or creating a new container, the new design simplifies the onboarding process.
As the Kubernetes-related features in Podman Desktop have grown, the developers have reorganized the navigation to make it more intuitive. Kubernetes pages now reside under a dedicated submenu, which aims to reduce clutter in the main interface.
New Kubernetes Navigation (Source: Podman blog)
Podman Desktop 1.13 also introduces an Image Layer Explorer extension. This feature allows users to view the individual layers of container images directly within the application. Once the extension is downloaded from the extensions catalog, users can choose an image from the list, go to the Files tab on the Image Details page, and click Fetch Layers to explore each layer of the image.
Aside from these major updates, Podman Desktop 1.13 includes several smaller enhancements and bug fixes. The complete list of issues fixed in this release is available on GitHub.
Some community members raised concerns about updating Podman Desktop on Windows. User neoitf commented in the GitHub thread:
The workaround for Windows users is to download the file manually from the Windows Downloads page.
To access this release, developers can download it from the official Podman website or explore its GitHub repository for further contributions and improvements.