Windows Symlink: Folder
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:
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: windows symlink folder
Get-Item "C:\SomeFolder" | Select-Object LinkType, Target If it returns LinkType: SymbolicLink , you’ve found one. Windows folder symlinks are one of the most underrated power tools in the OS. They allow you to decouple where data lives from where applications expect it to live, solve disk space shortages, and streamline workflows without hacking registry keys or installing quirky software. Windows folder symlinks are one of the most
Enter the for folders. It’s a advanced feature that acts as a magic mirror: a folder that points to another folder. When any program or user accesses the symlink, Windows silently redirects them to the real target. It’s a advanced feature that acts as a
Have you ever wished a folder could exist in two places at once? Perhaps you want your Downloads folder on a tiny, fast SSD, but your massive Documents folder on a spacious HDD—without breaking app paths. Or maybe you need to sync a folder to the cloud without moving it from its original location.
Once you start using mklink /D , you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it. Just remember the golden rule: