How to Create Symbolic Links and Junctions in Windows

The four link types and when to use each

A link is a reparse point — a small note in the file system that redirects access somewhere else. Windows supports four flavors, and picking the right one up front saves confusion later: they differ in what they can point at, whether they survive the target being moved, and what rights you need to create them. All four are created with the same mklink command and work on any NTFS volume.

• Directory junction — mklink /J Link Target: folders on local NTFS drives only, no admin prompt needed
• Directory symbolic link — mklink /D Link Target: folders, can point to network paths (UNC) and use relative targets, needs elevation or Developer Mode
• File symbolic link — mklink Link Target: a single file elsewhere, on any drive or share, same elevation rules
• Hard link — mklink /H Link Target: a second name for the same file on the same volume; the data survives until every name is deleted
• Rule of thumb — for redirecting a game or data folder to another internal drive, a junction is the safe default

Creating links with mklink

Open Windows Terminal or Command Prompt as administrator (Win+X → Terminal (Admin)) — or skip elevation by enabling Developer Mode first: Settings → System → For developers → Developer Mode, which lets a normal prompt create symbolic links. The syntax is always: the command, the link path (the new, redirected location), then the target (where the real files live). For example, after moving a game from C:\Games\ExampleGame to D:\Games\ExampleGame, delete the leftover empty folder on C: and run mklink /J C:\Games\ExampleGame D:\Games\ExampleGame — the folder is back in place, but everything written into it physically lands on D:.

Two habits prevent the classic mistakes. Wrap any path containing spaces in quotes; paths without spaces, like the example above, work bare. And create the link only after the target exists: a link to a missing folder produces a confusing access-denied error instead of a clear not-found message. To confirm a link worked, run dir in its parent folder — junctions and directory symlinks are listed as <JUNCTION> and <SYMLINKD> with the target shown in brackets.

Deleting links safely — and what breaks them

Removing the link itself never touches the target: run rmdir C:\Games\ExampleGame (or delete the folder in File Explorer) and only the redirect disappears, while the real files on D: stay exactly where they were. The danger runs in the opposite direction: deleting or editing files through the link modifies the real data, because a link is not a copy — it is a window onto the target. That is the whole point, and also the reason to double-check which side of the link you are working in before pressing Delete.

Three caveats are worth knowing. Never point a link into its own subfolder — that creates an infinite loop that chokes File Explorer and backup tools. Some backup and sync programs do not follow junctions, so exclude link folders if your copies start skipping data. And after a major Windows upgrade or an in-place reinstall, check your links with dir /AL /S C:\ — upgrades occasionally replace or drop reparse points, and a broken link looks exactly like a folder that refuses to open.

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