Symlinks Windows Jun 2026

Master Guide to Symbolic Links (Symlinks) in Windows Symbolic links (symlinks) are essentially "shortcuts on steroids." While a standard Windows shortcut ( .lnk file) simply points to a file, a symlink acts as a transparent redirect at the file system level. This allows applications to interact with a linked file or folder as if it were physically located at the path of the link. 1. Types of Links in Windows

New-Item -Path "LinkName" -ItemType SymbolicLink -Value "TargetPath"

: Enabling Developer Mode in Settings > Update & Security > For Developers allows non-admin users to create symlinks without an elevated command prompt. symlinks windows

Open the , type cmd , right-click it, and select Run as Administrator . Use the following syntax: Command Syntax File Symlink mklink "LinkPath" "TargetPath" Directory Symlink mklink /D "LinkPath" "TargetPath" Directory Junction mklink /J "LinkPath" "TargetPath" Example: mklink /D "C:\Games\BigGame" "D:\Games\BigGame" Method B: Windows PowerShell

: If your C: drive is full, you can move a large game or application folder to a D: drive and create a symlink in the original location. The app will never know it was moved. Master Guide to Symbolic Links (Symlinks) in Windows

The most versatile type. It can point to files or folders anywhere, including remote network shares.

Windows supports three main types of redirection, each with specific use cases: Types of Links in Windows New-Item -Path "LinkName"

: These are strictly for directories (folders). Unlike symlinks, junctions must use absolute paths and cannot point to network locations.

mklink /J "C:\Link\Folder" "C:\Original\Folder"