Windows Soft Link «Essential»

dir /AL ← shows all reparse points (symlinks, junctions) Output:

mklink /D "C:\Users\Me\Dropbox\WorkFiles" "D:\Work\ImportantFiles" Steam games (move installation folder): windows soft link

Or use File Explorer (delete as normal). You can move or rename a soft link freely – it still points to the original target. Changing target of a link (repointing) Cannot modify existing symlink – delete and recreate: dir /AL ← shows all reparse points (symlinks,

mklink "C:\Users\Me\.vimrc" "D:\git\dotfiles\.vimrc" mklink "C:\Users\Me\.bashrc" "D:\git\dotfiles\.bashrc" Same app data for two versions: Allowed but dangerous – if USB is missing,

# Move "HeavyGame" from C:\ to D:\Games mklink /D "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\HeavyGame" "D:\Games\HeavyGame" Store configs in a Git repo, symlink to expected locations:

mklink /D "C:\NetLink" "\\server\share\folder" Requires target share permissions and access. Allowed but dangerous – if USB is missing, apps may crash or hang. PowerShell New-Item (modern method) # File symlink New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C:\link.txt" -Target "D:\real.txt" Folder symlink New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "C:\linkfolder" -Target "D:\realfolder" 8. Troubleshooting ❌ "You do not have sufficient privilege" Fix: Run Command Prompt as Administrator or enable Developer Mode. ❌ "The system cannot find the file specified" Fix: Your target path is wrong or missing. Check spelling and existence. ❌ "Cannot create a file when that file already exists" Fix: The link path already has a real file/folder. Delete/move it first. ❌ "The device does not support symbolic links" Fix: You're trying to create a link on a FAT32/exFAT USB drive. Convert to NTFS or use ReFS. ❌ Symlink works in Explorer but not in apps Fix: Some old apps follow links only if you enable application compatibility :