diff --git a/cli/command/defaultcontextstore_test.go b/cli/command/defaultcontextstore_test.go
index 1bed50f608..749d390b1c 100644
--- a/cli/command/defaultcontextstore_test.go
+++ b/cli/command/defaultcontextstore_test.go
@@ -60,9 +60,7 @@ func TestDefaultContextInitializer(t *testing.T) {
 	cli, err := NewDockerCli()
 	assert.NilError(t, err)
 	defer env.Patch(t, "DOCKER_HOST", "ssh://someswarmserver")()
-	cli.configFile = &configfile.ConfigFile{
-		StackOrchestrator: "swarm",
-	}
+	cli.configFile = &configfile.ConfigFile{}
 	ctx, err := ResolveDefaultContext(&cliflags.CommonOptions{
 		TLS: true,
 		TLSOptions: &tlsconfig.Options{
diff --git a/cli/config/configfile/file.go b/cli/config/configfile/file.go
index 98915bdf6d..1b07ccdba2 100644
--- a/cli/config/configfile/file.go
+++ b/cli/config/configfile/file.go
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ type ConfigFile struct {
 	PruneFilters         []string                     `json:"pruneFilters,omitempty"`
 	Proxies              map[string]ProxyConfig       `json:"proxies,omitempty"`
 	Experimental         string                       `json:"experimental,omitempty"`
-	StackOrchestrator    string                       `json:"stackOrchestrator,omitempty"`
+	StackOrchestrator    string                       `json:"stackOrchestrator,omitempty"` // Deprecated: swarm is now the default orchestrator, and this option is ignored.
 	CurrentContext       string                       `json:"currentContext,omitempty"`
 	CLIPluginsExtraDirs  []string                     `json:"cliPluginsExtraDirs,omitempty"`
 	Plugins              map[string]map[string]string `json:"plugins,omitempty"`
diff --git a/docs/deprecated.md b/docs/deprecated.md
index db89710655..b7142d8740 100644
--- a/docs/deprecated.md
+++ b/docs/deprecated.md
@@ -220,7 +220,8 @@ The following command-line flags are removed from the `docker stack` subcommands
 - `--orchestrator` - swarm is now the only (and default) orchestrator for stacks.
 
 The `DOCKER_STACK_ORCHESTRATOR`, `DOCKER_ORCHESTRATOR`, and `KUBECONFIG` environment
-variables are no longer used, and ignored.
+variables, as well as the `stackOrchestrator` option in the `~/.docker/config.json`
+cli configuration file are no longer used, and ignored.
 
 ### Pulling images from non-compliant image registries
 
diff --git a/docs/reference/commandline/cli.md b/docs/reference/commandline/cli.md
index 1175c7ba83..cfa6496079 100644
--- a/docs/reference/commandline/cli.md
+++ b/docs/reference/commandline/cli.md
@@ -273,7 +273,6 @@ various fields:
     "awesomereg.example.org": "hip-star",
     "unicorn.example.com": "vcbait"
   },
-  "stackOrchestrator": "kubernetes",
   "plugins": {
     "plugin1": {
       "option": "value"