Example:
mklink /H C:\Backups\important.pdf C:\Users\Me\Documents\important.pdf
: Hard links take up virtually no additional disk space, as they share the existing data. Key Differences: Hard Link vs. Symbolic Link vs. Shortcut hard link windows
Store multiple copies of the same large file (e.g., ISO images, virtual disk backups) without wasting space.
Unlike a shortcut (.lnk) or a symbolic link, a hard link is completely indistinguishable from the original filename once created. Both names have equal status. Example: mklink /H C:\Backups\important
: To Windows and most applications, the hard link and the original file are identical.
When working with large files and you need multiple references to them, hard links can help save disk space by not duplicating the file. Shortcut Store multiple copies of the same large file (e
mklink /h C:\Link\file.txt C:\Original\file.txt
If one link (including the original) is deleted, the file's content remains on disk until all hard links to the file are deleted.
fsutil hardlink query "filename"