Windows 10: Create Soft and Hard Symbolic Links in Windows

How to: Create Soft and Hard Symbolic Links in Windows

How to Create Soft and Hard Symbolic Links in Windows


A symbolic link is a file-system object (file or directory) that points to another file system object (file or directory). The object being pointed to is called the target.

There are two type of symbolic links: hard and soft.

A soft link is referenced as a symbolic link and works similarly to a standard shortcut. Soft links will have a shortcut arrow icon on them. For example, when you open a soft link to a folder, you will be redirected to the folder where the files are stored.

A hard link makes it appear as though the file or folder actually exists at the location of the symbolic link, and your app wont know any better. That can make hard symbolic links more useful in most situations. Hard links to a file will not have a shortcut arrow icon on them.

See also:

• Symbolic Links - Windows applications | Microsoft Docs
• NTFS symbolic link - Wikipedia
• Hard link - Wikipedia
• mklink | Microsoft Docs
• New-Item | Microsoft Docs

A symbolic link can be helpful if say you wanted to sync a folder for a program. For example, if you have a program that must have its files stored at C:\Program Files and you want them stored at D:\My Location instead. You could move the original directory from C:\Program Files to D:\My Location, and create a symbolic link (soft or hard) at C:\Program Files (link) pointing to D:\My Location (target).

This tutorial will show you how to create soft and hard symbolic links (symlinks) pointing to a file or folder in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.

*note If you have elevated command prompt.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to File in Command Prompt
• Option Two: Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to Directory in Command Prompt
• Option Three: Create Hard Link Pointing to File in Command Prompt
• Option Four: Create Hard Link (Junction) Pointing to Directory in Command Prompt
• Option Five: Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to File in PowerShell
• Option Six: Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to Directory in PowerShell
• Option Seven: Create Hard Link Pointing to File in PowerShell
• Option Eight: Create Hard Link (Junction) Pointing to Directory in PowerShell
• Option Nine: Delete Hard or Soft Symbolic Link

OPTION ONE [/i] Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to File in Command Prompt
1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow mklink "Link" "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path with file name and extension you want created as a soft symbolic link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the file with extension that is the target (source) you want the soft symbolic link pointing to.

For example: mklink "C:\Users\Brink\Desktop\My Documents Link.txt" "C:\Users\Brink\Documents\My Document.txt"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated command prompt if you like.









OPTION TWO [/i] Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to Directory in Command Prompt
1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow mklink /d "Link" "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path of a folder (directory) you want created as a soft symbolic link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the folder (directory) that is the target (source) you want the soft symbolic link pointing to.

For example: mklink /d "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" "D:\Mozilla Firefox"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated command prompt if you like.









OPTION THREE [/i] Create Hard Link Pointing to File in Command Prompt
1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow mklink /h "Link" "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path with file name and extension you want created as a hard link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the file with extension that is the target (source) you want the hard link pointing to.

For example: mklink /h "C:\Users\Brink\Desktop\My Documents Link.txt" "C:\Users\Brink\Documents\My Document.txt"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated command prompt if you like.









OPTION FOUR [/i] Create Hard Link (Junction) Pointing to Directory in Command Prompt
1. Open an elevated command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the elevated command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow mklink /j "Link" "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path of a folder (directory) you want created as a hard link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the folder (directory) that is the target (source) you want the hard link pointing to.

For example: mklink /j "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" "D:\Mozilla Firefox"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated command prompt if you like.









OPTION FIVE [/i] Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to File in PowerShell
1. Open an elevated PowerShell.

2. Type the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "Link" -Target "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path with file name and extension you want created as a soft symbolic link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the file with extension that is the target (source) you want the soft symbolic link pointing to.

For example: New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C:\Users\Brink\Desktop\My Documents Link.txt" -Target "C:\Users\Brink\Documents\My Document.txt"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated PowerShell if you like.









OPTION SIX [/i] Create Soft Symbolic Link Pointing to Directory in PowerShell
1. Open an elevated PowerShell.

2. Type the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "Link" -Target "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path of a folder (directory) you want created as a soft symbolic link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the folder (directory) that is the target (source) you want the soft symbolic link pointing to.

For example: New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" -Target "D:\Mozilla Firefox"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated PowerShell if you like.









OPTION SEVEN [/i] Create Hard Link Pointing to File in PowerShell
1. Open an elevated PowerShell.

2. Type the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow New-Item -ItemType HardLink -Path "Link" -Target "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path with file name and extension you want created as a hard link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the file with extension that is the target (source) you want the hard link pointing to.

For example: New-Item -ItemType HardLink -Path "C:\Users\Brink\Desktop\My Documents Link.txt" -Target "C:\Users\Brink\Documents\My Document.txt"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated PowerShell if you like.









OPTION EIGHT [/i] Create Hard Link (Junction) Pointing to Directory in PowerShell
1. Open an elevated PowerShell.

2. Type the command below into the elevated PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path "Link" -Target "Target"

*note Substitute Link in the command above with the full path of a folder (directory) you want created as a hard link at.

Substitute Target in the command above with the full path of the folder (directory) that is the target (source) you want the hard link pointing to.

For example: New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" -Target "D:\Mozilla Firefox"
3. When finished, you can close the elevated PowerShell if you like.









OPTION NINE [/i] Delete Hard or Soft Symbolic Link
1. Open File Explorer (Windows 8/10) or Windows Explorer (Windows 7).

2. Navigate to the location of the symbolic link (soft or hard), and delete it. This will not delete the target (source) the symbolic link points to.

*Warning Do not delete the target (source) the symbolic link points to. You only want to delete the link itself.

That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Create Shortcut to App, File, Folder, Drive, or Website in Windows 10
• How to Sync Any Folder to OneDrive in Windows 10
• How to Mount a Drive to a Folder in Windows 10
• How to Mount Folder as Virtual Drive in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10

:)

 

Symbolic Links (Soft Links)


Greetings,


I have a large number of symbolic links (soft links) on my PC that I want to migrate to a new machine with an identical directory structure. When I use various backup or copy programs that clone files (bit copy), the symbolic links do not work on the target machine (they get converted to empty files instead of links). Any help would be appreciated.

 

Symbolic Links (Soft Links)


Hi, don't know if this is any help:

Link Shell Extension

- clearly by someone with a very detailed understanding.

 

Symbolic link (Junction/s), how-to mklink? Please help with Junction?


Hi all, having been a member at Seven then Ten forums for a fair while I'm hoping to find a straight answer here..? Apologies in advance if this is too verbose.
Windows 10 system booting from (UEFI) NVME with 2xSSDs + 2 MHDDs for storage...

An application (Xperia Companion) which will not let me select or personalise the location for saving backups of my cellular phone data...

Think I found a fair definition of the differences at the Computer hope site which would suggest it's a Junction I need:

I want Xperia companion to save backups to F:\Sony Backups NOT the default C:\Users\GD\Documents\Sony. Would the Junction (link) allow me to to fulfill my wants and could someone please demonstrate the mklink commands needed?

with thanks and regards,
Dave

 

mklink /D - symbolic link created but file access is denied via the link

I have literally the same problem. I could create symbolic links of folders with no problem from a specific disk to another until recently.

Now symbolic links from that disk to folders on other disks don't work anymore. Access denied.

Interestingly symbolic links on other disks to folders on other disks work. So do symbolic links on the problematic disk to
files on other disks - just not symbolic folder links.

The problem is really just with symbolic folder links on one specific disk.

The permissions and integrity level of the disk in question are exactly the same as the other disks that don't produce this problem.

Something is still different with the disk in question. But what could it be ?

What exactly happens when a symbolic link to a folder (not a file) is created ? And what happens when that folder link is being used to access other folders within the remote location ?

Cause frankly it is curious that once a folder link is accessed that accessing a folder within that link would produce the error "Location is not available - The system cannot move the file to a different disk drive."

Why is it trying to move a file to a different drive ? After all I'm just listing folder contents.

Mind you the symbolic link to the folder on another disk lets me access the folder (list its contents), but i cannot access the files within the folder or even open other folders within the link.

 

Stranded folder/broken link

Hi Ken,

This could be a symbolic link set by the script that you mentioned. The steps required in deleting the symbolic links depends on the type of symbolic function used to create it. You might need to check the actual script or contact the provider of the script
on what function was used.

Additionally, you can check out the following documentations regarding symbolic links:

• Creating Symbolic Links
• Junction v1.07

Let me know how it goes.