How to create symbolic links in Windows?

General
1

I am trying to create a symbolic link in Windows to reference files in another directory, but I can’t figure out how to set it up. Can someone walk me through the process or tell me if I’ve missed something? Windows version is up-to-date.

2

Alright, so you wanna make symbolic links in Windows? Not a big deal, but sometimes Windows can be, uh, let’s just say… “quirky.” Anyway, here’s the lowdown:

  1. Open up Command Prompt as Administrator. (Yeah, you really have to. Windows just likes to make everything feel like a power move.)

  2. To create the symbolic link, use this syntax:

    mklink [link] [target]
    • [link] = This is the new ‘fake’ file or folder (the link you’re making).
    • [target] = This is the actual file or folder you want to link to.

    If you’re doing a folder link, you gotta add /D like this:

    mklink /D 'C:\Path\To\Your\Link' 'C:\Actual\Path\To\Folder'

    – Forget the /D and it’s gonna make a file link. So, yeah, don’t skip that.

  3. Hit Enter. If you did it right, it should say, ‘symbolic link created for…’ blah blah blah. If it doesn’t, it’s either because:

    • You didn’t run as Admin (told you this was important).
    • Your paths are wrong.
    • You have some other random, unhelpful Windows error because why not.

  4. BOOM. You’ve got yourself a symbolic link.

Pro tip: If you’re using PowerShell, you might wanna use New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink instead. Same concept, slightly different syntax.

P.S. Double-check your paths, because symbolic links that point to nothing? Yeah, they’re just sad, hollow shortcuts. Existential crisis for your files.

3

Okay, so @cazadordeestrellas laid out the official dance moves for mklink and all that. Cool, but lemme throw this out there: are you sure symbolic links are what you need? Hear me out—sometimes, junctions or hard links might be the better call, depending on what you’re trying to do. Windows has a whole buffet of link types, and it’s waaayy too easy to grab the wrong plate.

For example, if you’re only dealing with folders and don’t need cross-filesystem magic, junction points (created with mklink /J) could work just as well AND tend to cause fewer headaches than symbolic links. Why? Because they’re less picky about permissions and don’t demand admin privilege. Yeah, you can skip the whole ‘run as Admin’ drama. Here’s the syntax for that:

mklink /J 'C:\Path\To\Link' 'C:\Path\To\ActualFolder'

If you’re focused on files and stick to the same drive, a hard link might also do the trick without all the symbolic link baggage. Use this for hard links:

fsutil hardlink create 'C:\Fake\FileLink' 'C:\Real\File'

BUT, if you’re dead-set on symbolic links and it’s just not working, a few bonus tips:

  • Make sure you’ve got developer mode enabled in settings. Certain builds of Windows (annoyingly) require this for symlink creation without admin.
  • Check the file system. FAT32? Forget it. Symbolic links play strictly on NTFS.
  • Be careful with relative paths versus absolute. Trust me, a typo or wrong slash can throw your plans straight into chaos.

In a weird mood? Consider using a GUI tool like Link Shell Extension. Yeah, I know, it’s not ‘hardcore Command Prompt vibes,’ but sometimes GUIs save brain cells. Anyway, pick your poison.