Folder and file link commands for Windows

ntfs_links.md

Cheat Sheet: Links, Mounts, and Junction Points on Windows

Create a Hard Link (Windows)

Links a file to another NTFS inode on the same volume.¹

mklink /H "C:\path\to\hard_link" "C:\path\to\source_file"

Example: mklink /H "C:\Users\Dave\doc_link.txt" "C:\Users\Dave\doc.txt"

Create a Soft (Symbolic) Link (Windows)

Creates a pointer to a file or directory, can cross volumes.²

mklink "C:\path\to\soft_link" "C:\path\to\source"

Example: mklink "C:\Users\Dave\doc_symlink.txt" "C:\Users\Dave\doc.txt"

For directories:

mklink /D "C:\Users\Dave\link_dir" "C:\Users\Dave\Docs"

Mount a Volume (Windows)

Mount a volume to a directory or drive letter.

mountvol C:\mount\point \\?\Volume{volume_guid}\

Example: mountvol C:\mnt \\?\Volume{12345678-1234-1234-1234-1234567890ab}\

Note: Find volume GUID with mountvol or Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc)

Create a Junction Point (Windows NTFS)

Creates a directory link on NTFS.³

mklink /J "C:\path\to\junction" "C:\path\to\target_dir"

Example: mklink /J "C:\Users\Dave\Link" "C:\Users\Dave\Docs"

Footnotes

1. Create multiple names for the same file on the same disk. ↩

2. Create a flexible shortcut that works across drives and folders. ↩

3. Redirect one folder to another on the same machine. ↩