Create Symbolic Link Windows Jun 2026

Always double-check your paths before creating symlinks. Deleting the symlink is safe, but deleting the target while a symlink still exists will leave you with a broken link. Windows will warn you when accessing broken symlinks.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about creating symbolic links in Windows, including using the mklink command, PowerShell, and GUI tools. What is a Symbolic Link? create symbolic link windows

| Task | Command (Admin CMD) | |-------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------| | Symlink to a | mklink "Link" "TargetFile" | | Symlink to a directory | mklink /D "Link" "TargetFolder" | | Symlink to a remote network folder | mklink /D "Link" "\\server\share\folder" | | Delete a file symlink | del "Link" | | Delete a directory symlink | rmdir "Link" | Always double-check your paths before creating symlinks

A (or symlink) is a special file or folder that points to another file or folder on your system. Think of it as an advanced shortcut that works at the file system level, allowing applications and commands to treat the link as if it were the original target. This guide will walk you through everything you

mklink /D "C:\Games\Saves" "E:\SaveData\MyGame"

Unlike a symlink, a hard link doesn't "point" to a path; it points to the data on the disk itself. It can only be used on the same partition/drive.