How To Create Symbolic Link Windows [best] May 2026

A symbolic link (or symlink) is a special file that "points" to another file or directory. Think of it as an advanced shortcut that works seamlessly with the operating system and most software, appearing as if the linked file or folder actually exists in that location.

New-Item -Path "C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\report.pdf" -ItemType SymbolicLink -Target "D:\Work\report.pdf" how to create symbolic link windows

New-Item -Path "C:\Web\site" -ItemType SymbolicLink -Target "D:\Projects\mywebsite" A symbolic link (or symlink) is a special

New-Item -Path "link_path" -ItemType SymbolicLink -Target "target_path" For a file: how to create symbolic link windows

mklink /D "C:\Projects\current" "D:\Archives\project_2025"

mklink "C:\Users\YourName\Desktop\shortcut.txt" "D:\Documents\original.txt"