Windows Symlink Folder File

mklink /D "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\Q1Reports" "\\Server\Shared\Departments\Finance\Reports\2025\Q1" Many games store mods in C:\Program Files\Game\Mods . Create a symlink to a version-controlled folder on your data drive:

| Feature | Symbolic Link (Symlink) | Junction | Hard Link | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Local or network (UNC) path | Local volume only | Not possible for folders | | Relative paths | Yes | No | N/A | | Cross-volume | Yes | Yes | N/A | | Shows real path | No (transparent) | No | N/A | | Best for | Cloud folders, network drives, portable links | Legacy apps, same-drive redirection | (Files only) | windows symlink folder

mklink /D "C:\Users\YourName\Downloads" "D:\Downloads" PowerShell uses a different command, New-Item , with the -ItemType SymbolicLink parameter: portable links | Legacy apps

New-Item -Path "C:\LinkFolder" -ItemType SymbolicLink -Target "D:\RealTargetFolder" Do not use normal folder deletion (like pressing Delete in Explorer) unless you are absolutely sure you want to delete the target folder’s contents! windows symlink folder

mklink /D "C:\Work\ProjectX" "D:\CloudSync\ProjectX" Now OneDrive (watching D:\CloudSync ) backs up your files, while your application happily writes to C:\Work\ProjectX . Instead of navigating \\Server\Shared\Departments\Finance\Reports\2025\Q1 , create a symlink on your desktop:

mklink /D "C:\ProgramData\HeavyApp" "E:\AppData\HeavyApp" You want to sync C:\Work\ProjectX to OneDrive, but ProjectX must stay on your local RAID array. Move ProjectX to D:\CloudSync\ProjectX and symlink it back: